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THE  OKATAIJGO  MVEK 


A N ARRAT IVE 

OF 

TRAVEL,  EXPLORATION,  AND  ADVENTURE. 


BY 

CHARLES  JOHN  ANDERSSON, 

AUTHOR  OP 

“LAKE  NGAMI.” 


WITH  NUMEROUS  ILLUSTRATIONS 
AND  A MAP  OF  SOUTHERN  AFRICA. 


NEW  YORK: 

HARPER  & BROTHERS,  PUBLISHERS, 

FRANKLIN  SQUARE. 


1861. 


PREFACE. 


The  traveler  in  Africa  had  formerly  a very  simple  task 
to  perform  when  he  came  before  the  public  to  give  an  ac- 
count of  his  adventurous  inroads  into  that  most  repulsive 
and  least  accessible  quarter  of  the  globe.  Readers  were 
then  satisfied  with  a few  details  of  mere  discovery — with  a 
few  latitudes  and  longitudes  as  correctly  set  down  as  might 
be.  At  present  they  demand  much  more.  He  is  now  ex- 
pected to  be  competently  versed  in  many  sciences,  and  in 
much  knowledge  out  of  the  beat  of  ordinary  accomplish- 
ment. He  is  supposed  to  understand  meteorology,  hygrom- 
etry,  and  hydrogeny;  to  collect  geological  specimens,  to 
gather  political  and  commercial  information,  to  advance 
the  infant  study  of  ethnology,  to  sketch,  to  write  a copious 
journal,  to  shoot  and  stuff*  birds  and  beasts,  to  collect  gram- 
mars and  vocabularies,  and  frequently  to  forward  long  re- 
ports to  the  Royal  Geographical  Society.  Now,  without 
pretending  to  have  reached,  or  to  have  at  all  closely  ap- 
proached this  standard  of  an  explorer’s  qualifications,  I 
have  certainly  touched,  in  the  following  pages,  on  several 
of  the  topics  just  enumerated.  My  humbler  object,  how- 
ever, has  been  merely,  by  a plain  narrative  of  my  adven- 
tures, accompanied  by  the  remarks  they  have  suggested,  so 
to  mingle  information  with  amusement  as  to  make  a pleas- 
ant and  somewhat  instructive  book. 

Five  years  have  now  elapsed  since  my  former  work  on 
South  Africa  was  published.  I have,  since  then,  become 
much  better  acquainted  with  that  country  than  I was  at 
that  time.  The  denizens  of  its  wilds  and  deserts  have  es- 


VI 


PREFACE. 


pecially,  as  a sportsman,  engaged  my  attention,  and  I think 
the  parts  of  this  volume  devoted  to  my  hunting  excursions 
will  be  found  particularly  interesting  and  exciting.  Africa, 
in  fact,  may  be  said,  even  up  to  the  present  day,  to  be  prin- 
cipally inhabited  by  wild  beasts.  Its  savage  human  natives 
only  afford  a study  of  rational  life  on  so  low  a scale  as 
hardly  to  justify  the  epithet  I have  just  made  use  of,  where- 
as one  may,  in  the  regions  I have  frequented,  luxuriate  in 
the  contemplation  of  pure  animal  existence  in  its  fullest  and 
freest  developments.  To  do  so  has  been  to  me  a great 
source  of  enjoyment.  Living  pictures  of  the  ferae  naturae  in 
multitudes,  in  endless  variety,  oftentimes,  too,  of  beauty  and 
of  happiness,  have  a wonderful  attraction  to  the  reasoning 
intellect  looking  down  upon  them,  yet  mightily  humbled  by 
its  sense  of  superiority ! In  brief,  Africa  is  a vast  zoologi- 
cal garden  and  a vast  hunting-field  at  the  same  time.  Let 
us  visit  it,  reader,  and  let  us  hunt  over  it  together.  Our 
drier  explorations,  and  our  companionship  through  them, 
will  be  all  the  pleasanter  for  this  recreation. 

A word  more  before  I conclude.  As  I have  found  it  cur- 
rently believed,  both  on  the  Continent  and  at  home,  that 
the  Eoyal  Geographical  Society  or  that  the  British  govern- 
ment has  paid  the  costs  of  my  several  explorations  in  the 
interior  of  Africa,  I must,  in  justice  to  myself,  contradict 
this  statement  in  the  most  unqualified  manner.  The  ex- 
penses of  all  my  African  expeditions  have  been  defrayed 
entirely  by  myself. 

In  this  volume  I have  seen  reason  to  alter  the  spelling  of 
a few  places  mentioned  in  Lake  Ngami. 


CONTENTS, 


CHAPTER  I. 

Project  of  an  Expedition  into  the  Interior  with  Mr.  Green. — 
Mr.  Green’s  Expedition  to  Libebe. — Professor  Wahlberg 
killed  by  an  Elephant. — Another  Expedition  of  Mr.  Green 
in  search  of  the  River  Cunene. — Two  Rhenish  Missionaries, 
Messrs.  Hahn  and  Rath,  join  Mr.  Green. — .Visit  to  the 
Ovambo. — Treachery  of  King  Hangoro. — The  exploring 
Party  attacked  by  his  Orders  by  a large  Body  of  Natives. 
— The  Victory  of  the  Europeans. — Six  hundred  fighting 
Men  beaten  by  thirteen. — The  accidental  Discovery  of  a 
Fresh-water  Lake  called  Onondova. — The  farther  Prosecu- 
tion of  the  Expedition  renounced. — I determine  on  resum- 
ing it  in  Person. — Difficulties  to  be  overcome. — Traveling 
Equipment  and  Suite. — Particular  Objects  of  the  Expedi- 
tion.— Motives  for  choosing  my  Route  through  Western 
Damara  Land Page  21 

CHAPTER  II. 

Departure. — Leave-taking.  — Slow  Progress. — Live-stock.  — 
Omaruru  River. — Scenery. — Cutting  a Way  through  the 
Bush. — Escape  and  Capture  of  my  Horse. — A serious  Ac- 
cident.— A Forest  of  Trees  without  Thorns. — A delightful 
Surprise. — The  Damara  Parent-tree. — Tracks  of  Elephants. 
— Magnificent  Range  of  Hills. — Periodical  Water-course. — 
A Mountain  Gorge. — Difficulty  of  finding  a Route. — The 
Passage  for  the  Wagon  impracticable. — The  Wagon  smash- 
ed to  Pieces. — Harrow  Escape  of  the  Oxen-driver. — Wagon 
repaired  and  reladen. — Route  in  a new  Direction. — En- 
campment.— Country  densely  bushed 32 


Vlll 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Another  Limestone  Range  of  Hills. — Passage  through  it  at 
last  found. — Clearing  a Road  through  Rocks. — The  Wagon 
like  a Ship  in  a heavy  Cross-sea. — The  Fountains  of  Otji- 
dambi. — Traces  of  human  Habitation. — The  Ovaherero  and 
the  Namaquas. — The  Hottentots  and  Damaras. — Cattle  and 
Sheep  stealing. — Guides  at  a Loss. — Two  Natives  captured. 
— One  of  them  forced  to  become  a Guide. — The  Natives  of 
a Village  flee  away  in  alarm.  — A few  Presents  reconcile 
some  of  them  to  become  Guides. — An  Accident:  a Dog 
killed  instead  of  a Hyena. — A grand  Illumination:  Fields 
on  Fire. — A Hurricane. — The  Passage  of  a Defile. — Game 
rare. — Long  Shots. — The  Guide  escapes. — Several  Werfts 
(Hamlets)  and  Vleys  (Wells). — Scarcity  of  Water. — Quest 
of  Water.  — Kind-heartedness  of  Damara  Women.  — No 
Guides. — No  Water,  and  Country  parched  and  desolate. — 
One  more  Attempt  to  go  forward Page  52 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Guides  lose  their  Way. — The  Lives  of  the  whole  Party 
at  stake. — A search  for  Water  in  all  Directions. — In  vain. — 
Necessity  of  returning  without  Delay. — Two  Men  explor- 
ing the  Country  for  Water  left  behind. — The  Sufferings  of 
the  Men  and  Animals  from  Thirst. — Retreat  resolved  upon. 
— A grand  and  appalling  Conflagration. — The  Magnificence 
of  the  Spectacle. — The  Cattle  one  hundred  and  fifty  Hours 
without  a single  Drop  of  Water. — The  two  Men  left  behind 
make  their  Appearance. — The  Water  so  long  searched  for 
found. — Ol^aoa  reached  in  Safety. — Ondjuona  the  favorite 
Resort  of  Elephants. — The  annual  Pilgrimage  of  these  An- 
imals to  another  Station. — The  Damara  Mode  of  Elephant- 
hunting.— View  from  the  Summit  of  Okonyenya. — Country 
surveyed. — A Thunder-storm  under  Foot 68 


CONTENTS. 


ix 


CHAPTER  Y. 

A singular  Mirage. — Arrival  on  the  Omaruru. — I resolve  on 
crossing  over  to  the  Omuramba,  via  Matako,  while  the  Wag- 
on is  undergoing  a complete  Reparation. — Two  Lions  attack 
the  Dogs. — Wild  Beasts  abundant. — Lion  Man-eaters.— 
Their  stealthy  Mode  of  Attack. — A horrid  Dream. — The 
physical  Features  of  Damara  Land. — Granite,  Limestone, 
and  Sandstone. — Carboniferous  Formations. — Scented  and 
aromatic  Plants  and  Trees. — Scenery. — Mines Page  84 

CHAPTER  VI. 

My  traveling  Stud. — Game  plentiful. — Giraffes,  Zebras,  Gnus, 
and  Koodoos. — Two  Giraffes  killed. — Lions,  Hyenas,  Jack- 
als, and  other  Beasts  of  Prey. — Great  Numbers  of  Natives. 
— Honey  in  great  Quantities. — Visitors  from  the  civilized 
World. — A Night  Watch  for  Game. — Elephants  descried. 
— An  Elephant  Hunt. — Two  Elephants  killed. — The  Re- 
joicings of  the  Damaras  on  the  Prospect  of  a Gorge. — A 
Breakfast  on  an  Elephant  Foot  and  a Dish  of  Honey. . . 95 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Night  Watches  and  Day  Trackings. — A great  English  Sports- 
man and  a great  English  Traveler’s  Opinion  of  Dr.  Living- 
stone.— A Moonlight  Ambush. — Living  Pictures  of  Animal 
Life. — Nature’s  Menagerie. — Two  more  Elephants  killed. — 
A Night  Assemblage  of  a large  Herd  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  Elephants  at  a drinking  Tank. — The  furious  Trumpet- 
ings  of  the  Herd  when  fired  at. — Female  Elephants  partic- 
ularly vicious. — A Cow  Elephant-hunt. — The  Hunter  hunt- 
ed.— Narrow  Escape.— Following  the  Spoors  of  a Herd. — 
The  Emigration  of  Elephants. — Paterfamilias,  or  General  of 
Division. — An  unsatisfactory  Shot. — A Tree  torn  up.— A 
Picture  of  Rage  and  Grandeur 109 


X 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A Herd  of  Camelopards  or  Giraffes. — One  Shot. — A comic 
Scene. — A Lion  wounded. — The  Antelope. — The  Eland. — 
The  Numerousness  of  this  ruminant  Tribe. — The  Springbok, 
its  extraordinary  Agility. — A Damara  trading  Caravan  des- 
tined for  Ovambo  Land. — Retainers  of  Afrikander. — I re- 
fuse to  join  the  Caravan. — Dearth  of  Water. — Rejoined  by 
the  Wagon. — Start  again  to  the  Eastward. — Lion  Man- 
eaters,  a Native  carried  off  by  one  of  them. — Mr.  Green’s 
Narrative. — Lion  Chase. — Fragments  and  Bones  of  the  Na- 
tive discovered. — Another  Visit  from  a Lion. — Dismay  in 
the  Encampment. — Wild  Boars. — Dogs  no  Match  for  them. 
— I overtake  the  Caravan,  and  determine  to  accompany  it 
for  a while Page  128 

CHAPTER  IX. 

A Retrospect.  — Omanbonde  a Sheet  of  Water. — Rhinoce- 
roses, Hippopotami,  and  other  large  Game  in  Abundance. 
— A beautiful  Landscape. — Elephants  numerous. — Fatigues 
and  Dangers  of  Elephant-hunting. — Hints  to  Elephant- 
hunters. — Extreme  Thirst. — Extreme  Exhaustion. — A Man 
killed  by  a Rhinoceros. — A Creeping  Stalk  of  a Rhinoceros. 
— Attack  of  a Rhinoceros.— An  adventurous  Chase. — Dis- 
covery of  the  Man  killed. — Accidental  Death. — Damara 
Grave,  and  Rites  of  Sepulture. — The  Feast  after  the  Fu- 
neral.— Lions  attack  a crippled  Rhinoceros 145 

CHAPTER  X. 

A Troop  of  Lions. — A Watch  by  Night. — Wild  Animals  at  a 
Vley. — A Duel  between  a Lion  and  Lion-hunter. — Dogs 
and  Damaras. — An  exciting  hunting  Scene. — One  hundred 
Damaras  in  the  Field. — Another  wounded  Lion. — Dinner 
on  Beefsteak  au  Lion  and  Hump  de  Rhinoceros. — Lion’s 
Flesh  very  palatable. — The  Ovambo  Caravan  still  in  the 
Neighborhood. — The  Feeding-time  of  the  Ovambos  after  a 


CONTENTS. 


XI 


Day’s  successful  Sport. — A disgusting  Spectacle. — Change 
of  Route. — A Bevy  of  black  Damsels. — Advice  about  Mar- 
riage.— A Road  practicable  for  the  Wagon. — News  from 
Europe.  — How  I dispose  of  my  Ivory.  — A Collection  of 
Insects  and  Birds. — Swifts  and  Swallows. — Tremendous 
Storms  of  Thunder  and  Lightning. — The  peculiar  Beauty 
of  the  Sunsets Page  160 

CHAPTER  XI. 

The  Damara  Caravan  forbidden  by  Chipanga,  the  successor  of 
Nangoro,  to  enter  Ondonga. — The  Ovambo’s  superstitious 
Dread  of  Fire-arms. — The  Party  belonging  to  the  Caravan 
steal  the  Cattle  and  Property  of  the  Ovambo. — A Descent 
made  upon  the  Ovambuenge  by  the  Makololo. — A Guide 
with  a Harem  of  Wives. — A Battle  between  two  Bushmen 
Werfts. — Dr.  Livingstone’s  Opinion  that  Bushmen  never 
quarrel  about  Women. — A Native  Woman  wounded  by 
poisoned  Arrows. — I endeavor  to  capture  the  Offenders. — 
Two  of  their  Party  made  Prisoners. — Not  guilty. — Effect 
their  Escape 175 

CHAPTER  XII. 

The  Rate  of  Absorption  and  Evaporation  of  Moisture  in  the 
dry  Season. — The  Return  of  the  Party  sent  to  Otjimbingue. 
— Preparations  for  a fresh  Start. — We  make  for  the  Omu- 
ramba  U’Ovambo. — Reasons  for  this  Choice. — Bid  Fare- 
well to  Omanbonde. — Description  of  my  Suite. — The  Guide 
ignorant  of  the  Route. — A Passage  through  a Forest. — The 
Guide  allowed  to  depart. — Difficulty  of  finding  Water. — In- 
dications of  Bushmen  Villages. — A small  Well  discovered. — 
Bushmen  make  their  Appearance. — ’Their  contradictory  De- 
scriptions of  the  Omuramba,  supposed  by  Travelers  to  be  a 
Branch  of  the  Cunene 182 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Comparatively  good  Road. — Pretty  Scenery. — Fruit  and 
Forest  Trees. — A sandy  Soil. — Thorn  Jungles. — Scarcity 


Xll 


CONTENTS. 


of  Water. — Yleys  dried  up. — The  Heat  intense. — Guides 
declare  there  is  no  Possibility  of  proceeding  farther. — De- 
light on  finding  Water.  — An  Accident  happens  to  the 
Wagon. — The  Axle-tree  renewed  six  Times. — The  Acacia 
Giraffe  and  the  White  Ant. — Monotony  of  Toil,  Anxiety, 
and  Hardship Page  189 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Gadflies. — Another  Elephant  Hunt : interrupted  by  a Storm 
of  Rain. — A very  jeopard ous  Position. — An  arduous  Chase. 
- — An  Elephant  charges  his  Pursuer. — Wounded  severely. 
—-Brought  down  after  a long  Hunt. — Another  Elephant 
bagged. — Plenty  of  Provision. — The  Natives  flock  together 
to  devour  the  Carcasses. — Jerking  and  Drying. — Slow  Prog- 
ress.— The  Number  of  Bushes  and  Trees  cut  down  to  clear 
a Passage. — One  hundred  and  seventy  Bushes  felled  every 
three  hundred  Yards. — The  incredible  amount  of  Labor  to 
advance  one  Mile. — Description  of  the  Country. — Variation 
of  the  Compass. — Some  Alteration  in  my  Course 196 

CHAPTER  XY. 

All  Hope  of  finding  the  Omuramba  described  by  Travelers  re- 
nounced.— Doubts  about  its  being  a Branch  of  the  Cunene. 
— The  River  pointed  out  by  the  Bushmen  quite  distinct  from 
the  Cunene. — A sandy  Country,  a continuous  Forest.— -An 
unexpected  Yisit  from  a Bushman,  an  old  Acquaintance  of 
Messrs.  Green  and  Hahn. — He  consents  to  be  our  Guide  for 
some  Distance. — I promise  to  kill  an  Elephant  for  him  and 
his  People. — Encampment  by  a fine  Yley  of  Water. — A be- 
nevolent Bushman. — An  Elephant  struck  dead  by  Lightning. 
— Fruit-trees  and  Forest-trees. — Their  Description. — A For- 
est-tree of  huge  Dimensions  and  spreading  Foliage. — An- 
other Elephant-hunt. — Elephants  in  Herds  as  numerous  as 
Cattle,  like  a large  Army.  — Their  shrill  Trumpetings  at 
Night 204 


CONTENTS. 


xiii 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

The  Difficulty  of  finding  Way  and  Water  increased. — Guides 
decamp. — Conflicting  Opinions  about  the  Road  to  the  River. 
— I leave  the  Wagon  to  explore  the  Country. — The  Capture 
of  a whole  Werft  of  Bushmen. — Two  of  them  compelled  to 
be  Guides. — Tied  together  as  Prisoners. — A Native  Woman 
captured. — A Werft  of  twenty  or  thirty  Huts. — Conversa- 
tion with  the  Chief  of  the  Hamlet. — Reach  Ombongo. — A 
periodical  Water-course. — Great  Anxiety  as  I approach  the 
Water,  Bushmen  have  often  so  contradictorily  described. — 
Was  it  merely  a Valley  periodically  filled  with  Water,  or  a 
mighty  River  ? — Our  Guides  hide  their  Arrows  in  the  Trees 
from  fear  of  Robbery  by  the  Ovaquangari. — I perceive  on 
the  far-away  Horizon  a distinct  dark  blue  Line. — I recognize 
at  once  a great  River. — This  River  called  by  the  Natives  the 
Okavango. — Reflections, Description, Conjectures. . .P.  214 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

The  Terror  of  the  Ovaquangari  on  our  Approach. — The  Na- 
tives cross  the  River  in  several  Canoes,  armed  to  the  Teeth. 
— Ordered  to  lay  aside  their  Weapons  and  talk  peaceably. 
— The  Difficulty  of  communicating  with  them  in  the  Ovam- 
bo  Language. — They  are  made  to  understand  the  Object 
of  our  Visit. — The  Chief  sends  us  Food. — I make  known 
my  Intention  to  visit  the  paramount  Chief,  Chikongo  by 
name. — Dispatch  a Messenger  to  him. — He  intimates  a Wish 
to  see  me. — A suitable  Conveyance  refused. — Procured  at 
last  by  threatening  to  leave  the  Country. — A Sail  on  the 
Okavango. — The  Boatman  a great  Blackguard. — Shows  the 
white  Man  as  a wild  Beast  to  crowds  of  Natives. — The 
Women  exceedingly  ugly. — The  River  described. — Hippo- 
potami and  Alligators. — Picturesque  Landscape.  — Modes 
of  catching  Fish. — Bivouac  under  a Tree,  with  the  Wind  for 
a Bedfellow. — Description  of  a Werft. — All  the  Chiefs  of 
the  Nation  assemble  to  meet  me. — Portrait  of  Chikongo. — 


XIV 


CONTENTS. 


His  Hospitality. — The  Makololo.  — - Dr.  Livingstone’s  At- 
tempts to  civilize  this  People  unsuccessful Page  222 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

The  Mambari. — Traders  from  the  Confines  of  the  Kingdom 
of  Benguela. — Visit  the  Ovaquangari  every  Year. — Peddler 
Expeditions  as  far  as  Libebe. — Much  valuable  Information, 
especially  respecting  the  North  and  its  Natives,  to  be  de- 
rived from  these  Traders. — They  convey  a Letter  for  me  to 
the  Governor  of  Benguela.— They  also  forward  one  to  the 
R.  G.  S.  of  London. — I think  of  returning  to  my  Men  left 
with  the  Wagon.  — Chikongo  objects  to  this  Proposal,  as 
his  People  have  not  yet  “ had  time  to  stare  at  me.” — The 
Savages  quite  on  a Par,  in  Point  of  Intelligence,  with  the 
Ovambos. — Agricultural  Pursuits. — Trades  of  the  Ovaquan- 
gari.— Various  Tribes  to  the  Northeast  of  this  People. — No 
permanently  settled  Nations. — Only  Bushmen. — Rejoin  my 
Wagon.  — Tremendous  Penalty  for  my  successful  Enter- 
prise.— Attacked  by  a malignant  Fever. — Five  of  my  Men 
prostrated  by  the  same  Disease. — Anticipate  a like  Fate  for 
the  Remainder  of  my  Party. — I hesitate  about  incurring  the 
Responsibility  of  persisting  in  my  Enterprise. — Determine, 
on  Reflection,  to  do  so 236 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

A Leopard  hunted  by  Dogs. — An  extraordinary  Leap. — Leop- 
ards and  Panthers. — Their  stealthy,  fawning  Mode  of  attack- 
ing their  Prey. — The  Chetah. — An  Antelope  Hunt. — Among 
the  Elephants  again. — A Presentiment  and  a Prophecy. — 
An  exciting  Chase. — A Night  Hunt. — A pastoral  Picture  of 
Elephants  enjoying  themselves. — A dangerous  Position. — 
A Mistake. — Two  Elephants  shot  instead  of  one. — A glori- 
ous Day’s  Sport. — Three  Elephants  bagged. — A new  Attack 
of  Fever 243 


CONTENTS. 


XV 


CHAPTER  XX. 

On  the  Okavango  again. — The  Numbers  on  our  Sick-list  in- 
crease.— Partial  Recoveries  and  Relapses. — The  numerous 
Species  of  Fish  in  the  River  all  edible,  and  some  delicious. 
— Fishing. — Singular  Contrivances  for  catching  Fish. — Al- 
ligators and  Hippopotami,  Otters. — My  original  Project  of 
proceeding  northward. — Generosity  of  Chikongo. — Pereira 
and  Mortar  take  the  Fever. — Obliged  to  abandon  my  long- 
cherished  Scheme. — A precipitate  Retreat. — The  Okavango 
perfectly  unknown  to  Europeans. — An  Excursion  toward  its 
Source  recommended. — The  native  Portuguese  not  aware 
of  the  River’s  Existence. — The  Unhealthiness  of  the  Climate 
confined  probably  to  the  Spring  Season. — Malaria  from  the 
Lagoons Page  255 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Departure  from  the  Okavango. — Very  slow  Progress. — The 
Country  retraced  devoid  of  natural  Springs. — No  Water  to 
be  procured  for  Cattle  on  our  Retreat. — Obliged  to  halt  till 
the  rainy  Season  set  in. — A Return  to  Ombongo  in  prospect. 
— Live-stock  getting  very  low. — Too  ill  for  Elephant-hunt- 
ing.— Pereira  recovers. — He  is  dispatched  with  an  Attend- 
ant or  two  to  Otjimbingue,  to  inform  Friends  of  my  awk- 
ward Position,  and  to  procure  Provisions. — Visit  from  Bush- 
men sent  by  a Party  of  the  Ovambo  encamped  about  two 
Days’  J ourney  from  us. — Suspicions  of  the  Intentions  of  this 
Party. — Spies  in  the  Camp. — Dangers  threaten. — The  Camp 
fortified. — Description  of  fortified  Camp  in  the  Desert.  262 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Tidings  of  Pereira. — He  falls  in  with  a suspicious-looking  Party 
of  Ovambo. — The  Country  all  around  on  Fire. — Suspect  the 
Ovambo  wish  to  burn  me  out. — Visit  from  Chikongo,  an 
Ovambo  Chief,  Brother  of  the  Chief  of  the  same  Name  be- 
fore mentioned. — The  whole  Neighborhood  again  in  a Blaze 


XVI 


CONTENTS. 


within  a hundred  Yards  of  the  Camp. — Interview  with  Chi- 
kongo,  escorted  by  sixty  Attendants  fully  armed.  — The 
Chiefs  Professions  most  friendly. — On  my  Guard  against 
Treachery. — Showed  him  I had  nothing  to  fear  from  him,  but 
he  had  much  to  fear  from  me. — Chikongo’s  Invitation. — • 
Presents  interchanged. — My  Illness  continues. — Study  of 
Natural  History. — A Collection  of  Birds  and  Insects. — Par- 
tridges. — Antelopes.  — Another  Elephant  shot.  — Anticipa- 
tion of  a Feast Page  270 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Anxiety  about  Pereira. — His  safe  Return. — Rejoicings. — He 
brings  Intelligence  that  Mr.  Frederick  Green  is  on  his  Way 
to  join  me. — The  extreme  Precariousness  of  my  Situation. — 
Native  Politics. — A “ Commando”  with  a numerous  Escort 
dispatched  from  Ondonga  to  destroy  me. — This  fearful  In- 
telligence brings  Mr.  Green  to  my  Rescue. — An  heroic  Act 
of  Friendship. — The  Expedition  sent  against  me  arrives. — 
The  murderous  Project  abandoned. — The  Dangers  escaped 
by  Pereira.  — Green’s  Difficulties  in  advancing. — I go  to 
meet  him. — A rather  arduous  Enterprise. — The  joyful  Meet- 
ing.— Prospects  not  much  mended  by  it. — Resolved,  after 
much  Hesitation  on  my  Part,  to  proceed  to  Mr.  Green’s  En- 
campment on  the  Omuramba. — Singular  Hardships  and  Fa- 
tigues of  this  Journey. — Scarcity  of  Water. — Thirst. — Suf- 
fering from  excessive  Heat 280 

CHAPTER  XXIY. 

Homeward  Course  pursued. — The  Omuramba  Water-course. 
— Whence,  being  sometimes  dry,  does  it  derive  its  frequent 
Flood  of  Water  ? — The  rainy  Season. — Sufferings  from  Wet- 
ness and  Wind. — A Bushman  devoured  by  a Lion  Man-eater. 
— A Lion  Hunt. — A marvelous  Shot  in  the  Dark. — A Duel 
in  the  Desert. — A Lion  killed. — A perilous  Position. — A 
wonderful  Escape.  — A Lion’s  Grief  for  the  Loss  of  his 
Friend. — The  History  of  two  Lions,  the  Terror  of  the  Dis- 


CONTENTS. 


XVII 


trict. — Three  Men  carried  off  in  the  Night  from  a Village 
by  the  Man-eaters. — A hundred  human  Beings  fall  a Prey 
to  them. — The  Country  thereabouts  abandoned  by  human 
Beings Page  289 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

More  Lion  Adventures. — A Cow' carried  off. — -An  Ambush, 
baited  by  a Goat,  laid  for  the  Thief. — A Lion  Hunt. — Beat- 
ing up  the  Country. — Retreat  of  the  Enemy  in  a Brake. — 
Courage  of  a Hog. — The  Animal  driven  out  of  the  Brake  by 
setting  it  on  fire. — Cowardice  of  most  of  the  Party  in  run- 
ning away  as  soon  as  the  Lion  appears. — The  Lion  attacks 
his  Assailant. — A Shot  takes  no  Effect. — Bodily  Encounter 
with  the  Lion. — He  receives  a Shot  in  the  Shoulder  while 
struggling  with  his  human  Antagonist,  who  escapes. — Is 
precipitated  to  the  Ground  by  an  Occident. — Tussle  with 
the  Lion  while  on  the  Ground. — Terribly  mutilated. — The 
Lion  shot  by  D > while  mangling  his  Victim. — The  Nar- 
rator’s Account  confirmed  by  his  runaway  Party 304 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

e _ 

Introduction.  — Saldanha  Bay.  — St.  Helen’s  Bay. — The  Berg 
River. — Lambert’s  Cove. — Cape  Honkin  and  Donkin’s'  Bay. 
— The  Oliphant  River. — Mitchell’s  Bay. — Hondeklipp  Bay. 
— The  Koussie  River. — Cape  Voltas. — Homewood  and  Pea- 
cock Harbors. — Alexander  Bay. — The  Orange  River:  De- 
scription, Scenery,  precious  Stones ; central  Course  unknown. 
— Boundary  of  British  Dominions. — Angras  Juntas. — Pos- 
session Island. — Elizabeth  Bay. — Angra  Pequena. — Pedes- 
tal Point. — Robert  Harbor. — Ichaboe. — Hottentot  Bay.— - 
Rae’s  Bay.  — Spencer’s  Bay.  — Mercury  Island.  — Hollam’s 
Bird  Isle. — Sandwich  Harbor 318 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

The  Swakop  River. — Half-moon  Bay. — The  Omaruru  River. 
— Cape  Cross. — The  wrecked  Vessel. — Mount  Messum. — 

B 


xviii 


CONTENTS. 


Berg  Damaras. — Hogden’s  Harbor. — Cock’s  Comb  and 
Sugar  Loaf. — Supposed  permanent  Stream. — Fort  Rock 
Point. — Cape  Frio. — The  Cunene,  or  bourse  River. — Great 
Fish  Bay. — Formation  and  Disappearance  of  Bays,  etc. — 
Excursion  inland  from  Great  Fish  Bay. — The  Nourse  River 
again. — Bembarougi. — Port  Alexander. — The  River  Flamin- 
gos.— The  Natives. — Fossil  Shells. — Summary. — Concluding 
Remarks : Rivers,  Harbors,  Islands,  etc. ; Winds,  Tempera- 
ture, Rollers ; Scarcity  of  Rain Page  341 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

A Contrast. — Discouragement  with  respect  to  Settlement  in 
one  Part  of  Africa  counterbalanced  by  the  Encouragement 
it  meets  with  at  250  miles  from  Table  Bay. — Establishment 
on  the  River  Knysna. — Dangerous  Entrance  to  the  Harbor. 
— A tremendous  Surf. — Perils  incurred  in  getting  into  safe 
Water. — Description. — Fine  Scenery. — A fatal  Act  of  Dar- 
ing.— A noble  and  diversified  Prospect. — Delicious  Climate. 
— Description  of  Landscape. — Salt  Marshes. — Government 
Dock-yard. — A Night  Scene. — European  Visitors. — An 
English  Gentleman-Farmer. — Plattenburg’s  Bay. — Forest 
Scenery. — Birds  of  gorgeous  Plumage  not  Vocalists. — Gen- 
eral Prospects  of  the  Settlement 373 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

The  Guano  Trade. — When  Guano  was  first  used  in  Agriculture. 
— Its  Discovery  in  Africa. — The  Island  of  Ichaboe : its  An- 
chorage ; Rollers. — The  Treasures  of  Ichaboe  made  known 
by  Mr.  Livingstone. — First  Attempt  to  reach  the  Island  a 
Failure;  a second  succeeds. — Vessels  arrive  in  Numbers. — 
Immense  Deposits  of  Guano. — The  Penguin. — The  Pen- 
guin’s Lament. — Stages  for  loading  Vessels. — The  “Flying 
Railway.” — Committee  of  Safety.  — Guano  Pits. — Squab- 
bles among  the  Captains  and  others. — The  Guano  Fever  ver- 
sified.— The  Island  is  properly  divided. — Ichaboe  presents 
an  animated  Scene. — Bad  Doings  on  the  Island. — Sir  J.  Mar- 
shall.— Guano  Pits  exhausted. — Concluding  Remarks.  388 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


1.  The  African  Elephant 

2.  Portrait  of  the  Author  (engraved 
Steel  from  a Photograph) 

ON 

. Vignette. 

3.  First  Progress 

To  face  page 

35 

4.  Crossing  a burning  Savanna 

a 

a 

75 

5.  A well-stocked  Shooting-ground  . . . 

a 

tt 

96 

6.  A Right  Royal  Front 

a 

a 

116 

7.  Furious  Charge  of  a?  Paterfamilias 

a 

it 

127 

8.  Chase  of  the  Wild  Boar 

u 

it 

143 

9.  Disappointed  Lions 

a 

it 

159 

10.  Death  of  a Lion 

a 

it 

165 

11.  Pursuit  of  an  Elephant 

a 

li 

209 

12.  The  White  Man  a Show 

it 

it 

229 

13.  The  Leopard  and  his  Prey 

it 

it 

247 

14.  A horrible  Surprise 

u 

it 

299 

15.  Death-grapple  with  a Lion 

n 

it 

317 

16.  Group  of  Natives  near  Great  Fish 
Bay 

a 

li 

358 

17.  Island  of  Ichaboe 

tt 

li 

399 

Map  of  Southern  Africa 

a 

a 

XX. 

NOTE  TO  THE  AMERICAN  EDITION. 

The  English  edition  of  the  Okavango  River  contains  no 
Map  or  Table  of  Distances.  The  American  Publishers  have 
endeavored  to  supply  this  deficiency  by  inserting  the  accom- 
panying map,  originally  prepared  for  Livingstone’s  Travels. 
The  principal  points  ascertained  by  Mr.  Andersson  having  been 
added,  this  is  the  best  accessible  map  of  Southern  Africa. 

Mr.  Andersson  furnishes  few  dates  or  distances.  The  follow- 
ing summary  will  enable  the  reader  to  follow  him  on  his  jour- 
neys toward  the  Okavango. 

He  left  Otjimbingue  (about  lat.  22°  S.,  long.  15°  W.)  March 
22,  1858,  reaching  the  Omaruru  River  in  a fortnight;  thence 
set  off  through  the  Kaoko,  by  way  of  Okoa,  which  place  was  - 
reached  early  in  May.  After  trying  different  routes  for  three 
weeks,  he  was  compelled  to  turn  back  by  the  want  of  water, 
reaching  Okoa  May  25,  and  the  Omaruru  July  1.  Here  he  re- 
mained till  the  20th;  then  set  off  to  the  northeast,  by  way  of 
the  Omuramba,  having  sent  his  wagon  to  Otjimbingue  to  be  re- 
paired. He  remained  on  the  Omuramba  till  August  29,  when, 
the  wagon  having  returned,  he  set  out  northward,  reaching 
Lake  Omanbonde  September  16.  He  remained  in  the  region 
of  the  lake  till  January,  1859,  when  he  started  for  a river  which 
the  Ovambo  call  the  Mukuru-Mukovanga. 

Reaching  it,  he  found  that  instead  of  running  west  to  the 
sea,  it  flowed  east,  directly  into  the  heart  of  the  continent.  The 
natives  call  this  river  the  Okavango.  He  does  not  give  the 
date  of  his  reaching  the  river,  but  it  must  have  been  in  March, 
1859,  a year  after  he  started  on  his  journey.  He  remained  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  river  nearly  three  months,  but  was  un- 
able to  make  any  extensive  explorations,  on  account  of-the  sick- 
ness of  himself  and  his  men.  He  started  homeward  June  6, 
1859,  but,  it  being  the  dry  season,  was  detained  for  months  in 
the  country  of  the  hostile  Ovambo.  Having  dispatched  a mes- 
senger setting  forth  his  peril,  his  former  traveling  companion, 
Mr.  Green,  set  out  for  his  relief,  and  reached  him  toward  the 
end  of  November.  They  arrived  at  the  missionary  stations 
in  the  spring  of  1860,  the  journey  to  and  from  the  Okavango 
thus  occupying  two  years. 


N 

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Tropic  of  Capriclm 


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Paramount  Chief  Matuunvo  A\ 


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Note 

/o  rfor  Map  Rivers.  Outline*  of  Lakes 

delmeatrd  tluu.%  fram  Oral  informal 
aau-raJly 


MicJicll  o 

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SOUTH  AFRICA. 

Showing  Ihe  regions  described 

Anderson,  Livingstone, 0ummm<5 
Bur  ton.and  Du  Chaillu 


r4Aafe*rf» 

Uinvubo  11. 


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Table‘s 

| CAPE  TOW™ 

O of  Good  Hope 


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Okavango  River . " 

Liviudstone. 

'Uiiummi . 


E3  Ci 

CZH  Burton  . 

CZH  Du  Chaillu . 


& Mother.,  Sew  York. 


THE  OKAVANGO  RIVER. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Project  of  an  Expedition  into  the  Interior  with  Mr.  Green.— 
Mr.  Green’s  Expedition  to  Libebe. — Professor  Wahlberg 
killed  by  an  Elephant. — Another  Expedition  of  Mr.  Green 
in  search  of  the  River  Cunene. — Two  Rhenish  Missionaries, 
Messrs.  Hahn  and  Rath,  join  Mr.  Green. — Visit  to  the 
Ovambo. — Treachery  of  King  Nangoro. — The  exploring 
Party  attacked  by  his  Orders  by  a large  Body  of  Natives. 
— The  Victory  of  the  Europeans. — Six  hundred  fighting 
Men  beaten  by  thirteen. — The  accidental  Discovery  of  a 
Fresh-water  Lake  called  Onondova. — The  farther  Prosecu- 
tion of  the  Expedition  renounced. — I determine  on  resum- 
ing it  in  Person. — Difficulties  to  be  overcome. — Traveling 
Equipment  and  Suite. — Particular  Objects  of  the  Expedi- 
tion.— Motives  for  choosing  my  Route  through  Western 
Damara  Land. 

Toward  the  end  of  1856  I found  myself  once 
more  back  at  the  Cape,  having,  in  the  interim  be- 
tween this  period  and  my  last  exploring  expedi- 
tion, been  on  a visit  to  Europe,  partly  with  a view 
to  see  my  relations,  friends,  and  acquaintances, 
and  partly  in  order  to  publish  my  travels  (“Lake 
Ngami’1).  I had  no  fixed  plan  for  the  future  ; but, 
previous  to  my  departure  from  the  Cape,  I had 
promised  a friend — Mr.  Frederick  Green — to  join 


22 


EXPEDITION  TO  LIB^IBE. 


him  on  an  exploring  and  hunting  tour  into  the 
distant  interior.  Mr.  Green,  who  had  in  the  mean 
time  undertaken  an  expedition  to  some  extent  on 
his  own  account,  had  not  yet  returned  to  the  Cape 
on  my  arrival  at  that  place,  nor  could  I hear  of  his 
movements  or  exact  whereabouts.  This  left  me 
rather  in  a fix.  For  two  months  I waited  pa- 
tiently, but  with  no  better  result.  At  the  end  of 
this  period  I was  offered  the  management  of  cer- 
tain mines  on  the  borders  of  Great  Namaqua  and 
Dai nar a Land,  and  as  I could  ill  afford  to  idle 
away  my  time,  Mr.  Green’s  return  seeming  so  un- 
certain, I accepted,  after  some  little  hesitation,  the 
proffered  post,  which  was  one  of  considerable  dif- 
ficulty and  responsibility.  Scarcely  was  this  ar- 
rangement concluded  when  my  friend  suddenly 
made  his  appearance  at  the  Cape.  On  hearing  of 
my  new  engagement  he  was  naturally  disappoint- 
ed ; the  regret  was  mutual. 

In  company  with  a Mr.  Wilson,  Mr.  Green  had, 
on  the  expedition  above  alluded  to,  penetrated  from 
the  Lake  regions  to  Libebe,  up  to  that  time  an  al- 
most terra  incognita.  They  had  accomplished  this 
exploration  partly  by  water  and  partly  by  land, 
but  the  undertaking  encountered  the  most  serious 
obstacles  and  terrible  hardships.  Mr.  Green  has 
published  a short  account  of  it  in  the  Cape  “East- 
ern Province  Magazine, 11  for  which  narrative  I beg 
to  refer  the  curious  to  the  June  and  July  numbers 
of  that  periodical  for  1857. 


THE  RIVER  CUNENE. 


23 


Subsequently  Mr.  Green  joined  the  late  esteemed 
and  much  lamented  Professor  Wahlberg  in  an  ex- 
cursion to  the  eastward  of  Lake  Ngami,  chiefly 
with  a view  to  hunting.  This  proved  a most  dis- 
astrous expedition,  for  it  ended  in  the  death  of 
the  professor,  who  was  killed  by  an  enraged  and 
wounded  elephant. 

Nothing  daunted,  however,  by  his  friend’s  fright- 
ful fate,  or  by  his  own  sufferings  and  hardships, 
Mr.  Green  determined  once  more  to  take  the  field, 
this  time  in  a direction  totally  different  to  his  for- 
mer wanderings,  viz.,  in  search  of  the  Biver  Cunene, 
a point  that  Mr.  Galton  and  myself  had  failed  in 
reaching  in  the  year  IB 50. 

Our  arrangements  were  soon  completed,  and  in 
the  course  of  a week  or  so  we  found  ourselves  on 
our  way  to  Walwich  Bay;  I for  the  purpose  of 
undertaking  the  management  of  the  mines  above 
mentioned,  and  Mr.  Green  to  prosecute  his  journey 
into  the  interior.  This  journey  had  a threefold 
object — -exploring,  hunting,  and  bartering.  It  was, 
however,  not  until  some  months  had  elapsed  after 
our  arrival  at  Walwich  Bay  that  Mr.  Green  was 
able  to  take,  in  the  month  of  April,  1857,  his  final 
departure.  The  route  he  intended  to  pursue  was 
somewhat  doubtful ; but  for  a certain  distance  he 
purposed  following  the  course  of  the  Omuramba 
Ua’  Matako,  taking  en  route  Otjimbingue,  Barmen, 
Schmelens  Hope,  etc. 

At  this  period  two  Bhenish  missionaries — the 


24  TREACHERY  OF  KING  NANGORO. 

Rev.  Messrs.  Hahn  and  Rath,  residing  respectively 
at  Barmen  and  Otjimbingue — also  proposed  visit- 
ing the  Ovambo,  whence,  if  practicable,  to  penetrate 
to  the  Cunene.  They  left  some  weeks  after  Mr. 
Green  had  passed  their  stations,  but,  owing  to 
various  delays,  overtook  my  friend  (after  about  a 
month’s  journeying)  at  a fountain  called  Otjituo, 
situated  on  a branch  of  the  Omuramba  IJa1  Matako. 
Previous  to  their  arrival  here  Mr.  Green  had  made 
a short  exploring  tour  to  the  eastward,  but,  not 
finding  a sufficiency  of  water,  he  deemed  the  road 
in  that  direction  impracticable  for  attaining  his  ob- 
ject. In  consequence  of  this  failure,  it  was  agreed 
that  they  should  all  form  one  party,  and  first  visit 
the  Ovambo,  with  the  intention  of  proceeding 
thence  on  to  the  Cunene. 

To  shorten  a long  story,  I will  merely  say  that 
the  travelers  arrived  in  safety  in  the  Ovambo 
country,  and  were  at  first  exceedingly  well  received 
by  King  Nangoro.  This  good  reception,  however, 
turned  out  at  last  to  be  but  treacherous ; for,  as 
the  party  were  one  morning  about  to  retrace  their 
steps  from  Ondonga,  they  were  suddenly  attacked 
by  his  orders.  Fortunately  they  were  not  alto- 
gether unprepared,  having  received  frequent  hints 
of  the  kind  intentions  of  their  friends , as  they  called 
themselves.  By  a most  determined  and  judicious 
resistance,  they  not  only  secured  their  own  safety, 
but  completely  defeated  the  Ovambo,  with  the  loss 
of  but  one  native  attendant,  who  was  stabbed  by 


DEATH  BY  BRIGHT. BATTLE  AND  VICTORY.  25 

the  side  of  Mr.  Hahn’s  wagon  previous  to  the 
commencement  of  the  affray.  The  Ovambo,  on 
the  other  hand,  had  many  killed  and  wounded. 
Among  the  former  was  one  of  Nangoro’s  sons. 
Indeed,  the  king  himself  met  his  death  on  this 
memorable  occasion ; for,  on  hearing  the  repeated 
discharges  of  fire-arms,  he  became  so  terrified  that 
his  bowels  burst  asunder,  and  he  fell  down  dead  on 
the  spot.  It  was  supposed,  at  the  lowest  calcula- 
tion, that  at  one  time  the  assailants  of  the  English 
party  must  have  amounted  to  six  hundred  fighting 
men,  all  well  armed  with  kieries,  assegais,  bows  and 
arrows,  while  the  travelers  could  only  muster  thir- 
teen men  capable  of  bearing  arms,  some  of  whom, 
moreover,  had  other  duties  to  attend  to,  such  as 
driving  wagons,  cattle,  etc.  In  short,  their  victory 
was  most  wonderful,  and  deserves  to  be  chronicled 
among  heroic  deeds.  Shortly  after  I heard  of  it  I 
sent  an  account  of  the  event  to  the  Cape  “Month- 
ly Magazine,”  to  which  I beg  to  refer  the  readers, 
should  they  feel  interested  in  its  details. 

After  such  a tremendous  lesson,  my  friends,  as 
may  be  well  imagined,  gave  up  all  farther  hopes 
of  reaching  the  Cunene,  and  forthwith  retraced 
their  steps  to  their  respective  homes,  Mr.  Green 
lingering  somewhat  behind  his  fellow-travelers. 

I have  omitted  to  mention  one  interesting  fact 
connected  with  this  expedition,  and  which,  in  some 
measure,  redeems  the  credit  of  the  undertaking. 
This  was  the  discovery  of  a fresh-water  lake,  called 


26  ACCIDENTAL  DISCOVERY  OP  A LAKE. 

Onondova,  which  the  explorers  actually  stumbled 
upon ; for,  though  they  had  people  with  them  per- 
fectly well  acquainted  with  the  country,  they  were 
not  aware  of  its  existence  until  they  actually  and 
accidentally  caught  sight  of  the  water . This  lake, 
as  far  as  it  is  possible  to  judge  either  from  the  west 
or  east — and  I have  been  within  a couple  of  days1 
journey  of  it — is  situated  in  about  lat.  21°,  and 
long.  19°.  The  travelers  did  not  go  round  it,  they 
merely  saw  it  at  its  eastern  extremity;  but  water 
appeared  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  all  round, 
and  they  estimated  its  circumference  at  from  twen- 
ty-five to  thirty  English  miles.  Mr.  Galt  on  and 
myself,  in  the  year  1850,  actually  passed  within 
one  day’s  march  of  this  superb  inland  sea  without 
—such  is  the  difiiculty  of  obtaining  information 
from  the  natives — having  the  slightest  suspicion 
of  its  existence. 

By  the  time  Mr.  Green  had  returned  to  Otjim- 
bingue  my  engagement  with  the  Walwich  Bay 
Mining  Company  had  nearly  expired,  and  as  it 
had  given  but  little  satisfaction  to  either  party,  we 
were  neither  of  us  willing  to  renew  it. 

On  this  expiration  of  my  contract  it  was  my 
original  intention  to  have  returned  forthwith  to 
the  Cape,  but  I felt  so  disappointed  at  my  friend’s 
failure  in  not  reaching  the  Cunene  (to  which  enter- 
prise, besides,  I had  devoted  considerable  pecuniary 
assistance)  that,  after  some  little  hesitation,  I de- 
termined to  solve,  if  possible,  the  difficult  problem 


OUTFIT. TRAVELING  ESTABLISHMENT. 


27 


in  person.  There  was,  however,  considerable  diffi- 
culty in  realizing  my  plan  without  first  visiting  the 
Cape,  for  I was  totally  destitute  of  the  necessary 
outfit,  even  down  to  my  personal  wearing  apparel. 
On  the  other  hand,  a journey  to  the  Cape  would  in 
all  probability  have  involved  so  much  loss  of  time 
that  I might  thereby  have  run  the  risk  of  losing 
the  season , i.  e .,  a whole  year,  a consideration  of 
no  small  importance  to  a poor  fellow  like  myself. 
Yet  I did  not  remain  long  undecided.  After  care- 
fully considering  all  the  pros  and  cons , I determ- 
ined to  proceed  on  the  journey  without  delay ; and 
as  there  is  always  a way  where  there  is  a will, 
I succeeded,  by  dint  of  patience  and  perseverance, 
in  collecting  a fair  assortment  of  the  most  need- 
ful and  important  prerequisites,  begging  or  buying 
some  article  of  clothing  here,  borrowing  a gun 
there,  and  so  on,  till,  after  five  weeks  of  incessant 
application,  working,  so  to  speak,  night  and  day,  I 
was  ready  to  take  my  departure.  But  here  let  me 
pause  for  a moment,  that  I may  return  my  sincere 
thanks  to  the  kind  friends  who  aided  me  in  my 
equipment.  I will  not  mention  individual  names, 
since  each  and  all  of  those  to  whom  I allude  vied 
with  each  other  in  rendering  assistance  to  the  sol- 
itary traveler.  Without  their  cordial  co-operation 
my  plan  must  have  failed. 

Now  for  a few  words  before  I proceed  with  my 
narrative  about  my  traveling  establishment.  My 
servants  were  as  follows : one  cook,  acting  as  con- 


28 


FOLLOWERS. 


fidential  servant ; one  general  attendant,  who  also 
superintended  my  native  “ personnel one  wagon- 
driver,  one  leader,  one  guide,  two  herds,  two  inter- 
preters, and  one  or  two  lads  whose  duty  consisted 
in  making  themselves  generally  useful — that  is, 
eleven  men  in  toto;  no  great  force,  certainly,  to  en- 
ter upon  the  exploration  of  a wild  and  unknown 
region.  Of  all  this  little  band  of  followers,  John 
Mortar  and  J ohn  Pereira,  the  first  two  on  my  list, 
were  the  only  persons  on  whom,  in  a case  of  emer- 
gency, I could  rely.  Those  who  have  perused 
“ Tropical  South  Africa”  and  “Lake  Ngami”  will 
at  once  recognize  in  the  first  of  these  names  Mr. 
Galton’s  cook,  who,  through  a difficult  and  harass- 
ing expedition,  proved  himself  so  faithful  and  trust- 
worthy. Mortar  had,  when  he  entered  mine,  just 
left  Mr.  Green’s  service,  where  he  had  earned  for 
himself  a similarly  good  character.  I considered 
myself  most  fortunate  in  securing  so  tried  and  val- 
uable a servant.  It  will  be  remembered  that  this 
man  was  a native  of  Madeira,  and  consequently 
well  acquainted  with  the  Portuguese  language. 
John  Pereira  was  of  Malabar  descent.  He  had 
received  a most  liberal,  and,  for  his  station  in  life, 
unusual  education.  He  wrote  a fair  hand,  spoke 
and  wrote  English,  Dutch,  and  Portuguese  fluently, 
understood  Chinese  and  several  Hindostanee  dia- 
lects, and  could  translate  Latin,  which  is  more  than 
I can  do  myself. 

The  rest  of  my  servants  being  all  native  attend- 


OBJECT  IN  VIEW. 


29 


ants,  and  distinguished  for  no  remarkable  quality 
(except  Kamapjie  and  Tom,  both  capital  “trackers” 
and  interpreters),  I pass  them  over  in  silence.  I 
have  only  to  add,  that  besides  several  other  barbar- 
ous tongues,  my  men  spoke  Damara,  Hottentot, 
Sichuana,  and  Portuguese,  languages  most  likely  to 
come  into  requisition. 

The  remainder  of  my  establishment  consisted  of 
one  wagon,  thirty  first-rate  trek  oxen,  five  draught 
and  carriage  oxen,  eleven  young  oxen,  four  donkeys, 
one  old  horse,  seventy  sheep  and  goats,  chiefly  for 
slaughter,  and,  lastly,  but  not  the  least  important, 
about  a dozen  dogs  of  a somewhat  mongrel  descrip- 
tion, though  good  enough  as  watch-dogs,  for  which 
service  they  were  principally  required. 

The  chief  object  of  the  expedition  was,  as  already 
stated,  to  penetrate  to  the  Cunene ; and  farther, 
supposing  a safe  arrival  on  the  banks  of  that  river, 
to  explore  it  either  toward  its  source  or  toward  its 
embouchure,  according  to  the  point  where  I might 
happen  to  strike  it.  Moreover,  if  time  and  means 
admitted,  I intended  thence  to  make  an  excursion 
to  some  Portuguese  settlement  on  the  west  coast, 
such  as  Mossamedos,  Benguela,  etc. 

If  I succeeded  in  accomplishing  these  purposes 
the  following  results  would  be  obtained,  viz.  : the 
great  blanks  in  the  maps  between  Damara  and 
Ovambo  Land,  and  in  Dr.  Livingstone’s  remarka- 
ble journey  from  the  banks  of  Sesheke  to  St.  Paul 
de  Loanda,  wquld  be  filled  up,  while  vast,  and  prob- 


30 


CHOICE  OF  ROUTE. 


ably  rich  regions  would  be  opened  to  the  influence 
of  commerce  and  civilization. 

It  was  only  a few  days  previous  to  my  departure 
from  Otjimbingue  that  I could  make  up  my  mind 
as  to  what  route  to  select  in  order  to  reach  the 
Cunene  River.  I had  the  choice  of  two:  either 
through  the  Kaoko  (Western  Damara  Land),  or 
via  Omuramba  Ua’  Matako,  the  track  pursued  for 
a considerable  distance  by  Mr.  Green.  The  first 
of  these  routes  was  unquestionably  the  most  direct, 
but  then  the  country  to  be  traversed  was  entirely 
unknown.  Moreover,  should  I choose  it,  I should 
have  to  pass  through  tribes  akin  to  the  Ovambo — 
a by  no  means  agreeable  prospect,  since  it  was  im- 
possible to  know  in  what  mood  these  people  might 
be  found,  or,  rather,  what  influence  the  disastrous 
encounter  of  the  Ovambo  a few  months  before,  al- 
ready alluded  to,  might  have  had  upon  them.  The 
Omuramba  Ua’  Matako,  on  the  other  hand, Though 
a more  circuitous  route,  afforded  for  a long  distance 
a safe  passage,  yielding  during  two  thirds  of  the 
year  an  abundant  supply  of  water  and  game — con- 
siderations of  the  most  vital  importance.  Besides, 
having  reached  Mr.  Green’s  farthest  easterly  point, 
I should,  in  all  probability,  not  have  above  a fort- 
night’s journey  to  the  Cunene,  or  at  least  some 
river  connected  with  it.  I was,  therefore,  strongly 
urged  to  select  this  route.  We  generally,  however, 
prefer  our  own  counsel  to  that  of  disinterested 


REASONS  FOR  IT. 


31 


friends,  so  I at  last  determined  on  striking  through 
Western  Damara  Land. 

I had  some  strong  reasons  for  adopting  this 
course.  I had  been  given  to  understand  that  the 
Kaoko  abounded  in  elephants  and  other  large 
game,  and  that  of  water  there  was  there  no  posi- 
tive dearth.  I reasoned  in  this  way : it  is  now  the 
very  best  part  of  the  rainy  season,  consequently 
drought  can  not  prove  a hinderance ; a couple  of 
months1  traveling  or  less  will  in  all  probability 
bring  me  to  the  borders  of  the  different  Ovambo 
territories,  and  if  I then  find  the  country  imprac- 
ticable in  that  direction,  I shall  still  have  sufficient 
time  to  try  my  luck  in  ..another  quarter  before  the 
dry  season  sets  in.  On  the  other  hand,  if  I succeed 
in  getting  through  in  safety  (after  having  ascended 
the  Cunene  toward  its  source),  the  Omuramba  Ua1 
Matako  will  afford  a convenient  and  safe  route  by 
which  a weary  traveler  may  retrace  his  steps  to 
Damara  Land.  I was  sadly  disappointed  in  all 
my  anticipations,  as  the  sequel  will  show. 


32 


DEPARTURE. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Departure. — Leave-taking. — Slow  Progress. — Live-stock.  — 
Omaruru  River. — Scenery. — Cutting  a Way  through  the 
Bush. — Escape  and  Capture  of  my  Horse. — A serious  Ac- 
cident.— A Forest  of  Trees  without  Thorns. — A delightful 
Surprise. — The  Damara  Parent-tree. — Tracks  of  Elephants. 
— Magnificent  Range  of  Hills. — Periodical  Water-course. — 
A Mountain  Gorge. — Difficulty  of  finding  a Route. — The 
Passage  for  the  Wagon  impracticable. — The  Wagon  smash- 
ed to  Pieces. — Narrow  Escape  of  the  Oxen-driver. — Wagon 
repaired  and  reladen. — Route  in  a new  Direction. — En- 
campment.— Country  densely  bushed. 

On  the  2 2d  of  March  I left  Otjimbingue,  accom- 
panied by  the  good  wishes  of  an  assemblage  of 
numerous  friends  and  acquaintances.  There  was 
much  shaking  of  hands,  many  a “God  speed  you,” 
many  a “God  bless  you”  uttered.  The  women 
wiped  their  eyes — 

“ The  April’s  in  her  eyes ; 

Her  tongue  will  not  obey  her  heart,  nor  can 
Her  heart  inform  her  tongue ” 

The  children  cried  because  ma  did  so ; the  little 
urchins  shouted,  and  the  men  greeted  me  with 
tremendous  and  repeated  volleys  of  fire-arms;  in 
short, it  was  a complete  “scene;”  my  departure  oc- 
casioned as  much  noise  and  bustle  as  a visit  from  the 
Queen  of  England  to  this  country  would  have  done. 


FIRST  PROGRESS. 


LEAVE-TAKING. 


35 


Taking  leave  of  a place  which  has  been  one’s 
abode  for  some  time,  though  neither  one’s  home, 
nor  associated  with  any  particular  or  fond  recollec- 
tion, is  always  a sad  and  solemn  incident  in  life. 
In  the  present  instance  I felt  the  woman  more  than 
once  rise  to  my  eyes,  and  why  not  ? How  was  I to 
know  that  this  was  not  my  last  farewell  ? my  last 
link  of  connection  with  a people  capable  of  sympa- 
thizing with,  and  caring  for  the  stranger?  while  an 
unknown,  inhospitable  region  of  indefinite  extent 
lay  before  me,  inhabited  by  savage  beasts  and  still 
more  savage  men. 

At  first  our  progress  was  exceedingly  slow,  being 
sometimes  delayed  for  days  by  deluging  rains.  The 
soil  became  by  these  torrents  in  places  so  soft  and 
yielding  that  the  wheels  of  our  wagon  frequently 
sank  into  it  above  their  naves,  whence  they  could 
only  be  extricated  by  immense  exertions,  and,  what 
was  worse,  at  the  cost  of  some  important  part  of 
the  vehicle.  Indeed,  I had  some  serious  wheel- 
wright work  to  perform.  The  wagon,  being  very 
heavily  laden,  yielded  but  slowly  to  our  efforts. 
The  draught  oxen,  too,  though  of  the  very  best  de- 
scription, sometimes  got  discouraged  by  the  excess- 
ive badness  of  the  country.  After  the  lapse  of 
nearly  a fortnight,  however,  I found  myself  on  the 
banks  of  the  Omaruru  River,  or  about  seventy 
English  miles,  as  the  crow  flies,  from  my  starting- 
point. 

Up  to  this  period  nothing  worth  recording  had 


36 


VORACITY  OF  NATIVES. 


occurred,  if  I except  an  accident  jto  myself.  I was 
stalking  some  giraffes,  and,  while  pushing  a heavy 
elephant  rifle  before  me,  something  caught  the  trig- 
ger and  caused  the  piece  to  explode.  Unfortunate- 
ly, the  full  force  of  its  recoil  struck  the  inside  of 
my  naked  right  arm  near  the  elbow,  and  occasioned 
a severe  jagged  wound. 

Of  game,  contrary  to  my  expectation,  we  had 
seen  little  or  nothing,  and  I began  to  have  the  most 
serious  forebodings  for  the  future.  A person  not 
acquainted  with  the  voracity  of  native  attendants 
can  scarcely  understand  why  I should  so  early  have 
felt  uncomfortable  on  this  head,  as  I have  mention- 
ed that  I started  with  about  seventy  sheep  and 
goats ; but  this  would  scarcely  afford  provision  for 
a hundred  days  to  my  party,  and,  for  aught  we 
knew,  the  expedition  might  extend  over  a period 
of  twelve,  eighteen,  or  even  twenty-four  months. 
The  reader  will  now  perhaps  better  understand  my 
anxiety. 

The  Omaruru  River  is  the  second  in  size  and 
importance  of  the  great  arteries  which  intersect 
Damara  Land.  It  drains  a considerable  extent  of 
country,  and  is  nearly  as  large  as  the  Swakop,  but 
inferior  to  that  stream  in  the  quality  of  its  water, 
especially  for  pasturage  purposes.  Where  I crossed 
it  its  bed  is  nearly  a quarter  of  a mile  broad,  and 
its  banks  are  studded  with  fine  groups  and  groves 
of  various  acacias  and  mimosas,  plants  indigenous 
to  the  soil.  The  river  commands,  moreover,  at  this 


THE  OMARURU  RIVER. 


37 


point,  some  of  the  finest  hill-scenery  in  Damara 
Land.  Its  periodical  flow  had  just  ceased,  but  lit- 
tle rills  were  seen  still  meandering  here  and  there 
through  its  extensive  channel.  As  the  Omaruru 
approaches  the  sea,  its  aspect,  however,  greatly 
changes  for  the  worse.  At  about  this  time  on  the 
preceding  year  I had  occasion  to  journey  up  its 
course  as  far  as  two  days’  distance  from  its  embou- 
chure, and  a more  desolate  and  sterile  expanse  than 
the  country  presented  can  scarcely  be  conceived. 
The  river  had  forced  a passage  through  low  broken 
ranges  of  primary  rock  of  a very  dark  color,  with 
occasional  streaks  and  dikes  of  white  quartz  and 
granite.  This  greatly -increased  the  general  hide- 
ousness of  the  scene,  while  outside  these  rocky  de- 
files immense  barren  flats  extended  as  far  as  the 
eye  could  reach. 

I find  the  following  note  in  my  journal  descrip- 
tive of  this  tract:  “When  a heavy  sea-fog  rests 
on  these  uncouth  and  rugged  surfaces — and  it  does 
so  very  often — a place  fitter  to  represent  the  infer- 
nal regions  could  scarcely,  in  searching  the  world 
round,  be  found.  A shudder,  amounting  almost 
to  fear,  came  over  me  when  its  frightful  desolation 
first  suddenly  broke  upon  my  view.  “Death,”  I 
exclaimed,  “would  be  preferable  to  banishment  to 
such  a country.” 

After  a few  days’  stay  on  the  Omaruru  River  we 
took  our  departure  again  for  the  north.  The  rains 
had  now  ceased  to  annoy  us,  or,  at  least,  fell  only  in 


38 


THORN  JUNGLES. 


such  limited  quantities  as  not  to  impede  our  prog- 
ress. But  this  was  only  changing  one  evil  for  an- 
other, for  harassing  thorn  jungles  at  present  beset 
us  on  every  side.  Hitherto  we  had,  by  chopping 
away  an  occasional  bush  or  two,  managed  to  get 
through  comfortably  enough,  but  now  the  country 
had  become  densely  wooded,  and  continued  to  be  so 
for  a very  considerable  distance.  Indeed,  for  up- 
ward of  one  hundred  miles  we  had  literally  to  cut 
our  ivay  step  by  step;  it  was  not  mere  bushes  either 
that  we  had  to  clear  away,  but  trees  also,  varying 
from  a few  inches  to  as  much  as  two  feet  in  diameter. 
Pick  and  crowbar  [for  fortunately  I had  taken  the 
precaution  to  be  pretty  well  provided  with  road- 
making implements]  were,  besides,  frequently  put 
into  requisition — in  short,  it  was  chop,  pick,  and 
heave  the  livelong  day,  from  sunrise  to  sunset.  It 
was  most  severe  and  harassing  work.  The  wagon 
sail,  which  was  made  of  the  best  ship’s  canvas,  was 
torn  to  shreds — a good  criterion  of  the  terrible  un- 
couthness of  the  country.  For  fear  of  being  with- 
out a roof  altogether,  we  were  obliged  to  patch  up, 
as  we  went  along,  the  ragged  sail  with  the  skins  of 
the  slaughtered  sheep  and  goats. 

A few  days  after  leaving  the  Omaruru  Piver  an 
accident  occurred  that  put  me  to  some  inconven- 
ience. I was  riding  leisurely  along  in  advance  of 
the  wagon,  hoping  to  fall  in  with  some  game,  when, 
while  passing  through  a thick  brake,  I espied  a gi- 
raffe. I at  once  gave  the  spurs  to  my  steed,  but 


A RUNAWAY  HORSE,  AND  HYENAS.  39 

the  quarry  was  almost  immediately  lost  to  view. 
Pulling  up  at  the  nearest  tree,  I sprang  to  the 
ground,  leaving  the  horse  standing  with  the  reins 
on  his  neck,  as  I had  often  left  him  before.  I then 
began  climbing  the  tree,  that  I might  have  a good 
roundabout  view ; but,  when  half  way  up,  to  my 
surprise  and  extreme  annoyance,  I saw  the  horse 
coolly  turn  on  his  heels  and  canter  off.  I could 
not  help  exclaiming  to  myselfj  “A  fig  for  my  gun 
now!”  for,  as  ill  luck  would  have  it,  a valuable 
double-barreled  smooth-bore  Westly  Richard  was 
in  the  gun-bag  on  the  horse's  back.  It  was,  in  fact, 
the  only  gun  (barring  a large  elephant  rifle)  that  I 
could  depend  upon ; the  mischief  therefore  done 
was  very  great.  Once  before  the  horse  had  made 
off,  but  then  fortunately  without  any  thing  but  his 
saddle.  However,  taking  for  granted  that  the  brute 
would  make  for  the  nearest  water,  which  we  had 
only  just  left,  I put  the  best  face  I could  on  the 
matter,  and  forthwith  rejoined  the  wagon,  whence 
I dispatched  several  men  in  pursuit  of  the  fugitive, 
the  wagon  in  the  mean  time  proceeding  slowly  on 
its  way.  It  was  not  until  the  third  day  that  the 
runaway  was  secured,  when  his  capture  was  purely 
accidental.  He  had  evidently  meant  to  return  to 
Otjimbingue,  but  had  been  met  and  attacked  by  a 
troop  of  hyenas,  which  he  had,  it  appeared,  after  a 
desperate  struggle,  succeeded  in  beating  off.  In 
the  scuffle  the  saddle  had  got  under  his  belly ; one 
of  his  fore  legs,  too,  had  got  afterward  entangled  in 


40 


A SEVERE  FALL. 


the  girths,  and  this  had  fortunately  brought  him  to 
a stand-still.  The  gun  was  recovered,  but  broken 
short  off  in  the  stock,  and  otherwise  most  seriously 
injured.  With  considerable  difficulty  I succeeded 
in  repairing  the  damage,  but  never  quite  to  my  sat- 
isfaction. 

u Misfortune,  ” says  the  adage,  u never  comes 
alone,  ” and  it  was  strikingly  verified  in  my  case ; 
for,  on  the  very  day  after  the  mishap  just  alluded 
to  had  occurred,  another  accident  of  even  a more 
serious  character  befell  me. 

We  had  encamped  for  the  night  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  a place  called  Ongarivanda,  and  I had  pro- 
ceeded on  foot  to  the  hamlet  to  ascertain  whether 
water  was  to  be  had  for  the  cattle.  On  my  return, 
passing  at  a rapid  pace  over  a large  mass  of  rug- 
ged granite,  my  foot  slipped,  and  I was  precipitated 
headlong  to  the  ground.  When  suddenly  and  se- 
verely hurt,  a person  is  often  all  but  insensible  to 
the  pain — at  least  such  is  my  experience ; but  in 
this  instance  I felt  at  the  instant  an  agonizing  chil- 
liness creep  over  my  body  as  the  warm  blood  kept 
oozing  through  my  linen  and  trowsers.  On  recov- 
ering from  the  shock,  I discovered  that  large  pieces 
of  flesh  had  been  literally  torn  away  from  both  my 
arms,  while  my  left  knee  (the  right  was  also  slight- 
ly hurt)  was  most  severely  lacerated.  The  sun  was 
just  setting,  and  I was  three  or  four  miles  from 
camp.  I knew  perfectly  well  that  unless  I got 
back  while  the  wounds  were  still  moist  and  warm, 


AN  OLD  DRESSING-GOWN  A TREASURE. 


41 


I should  have  to  bunk  it  out  on  the  cold  naked 
rock.  With  an  effort,  therefore,  I rose  and  made 
the  best  I could  of  my  way  to  the  wagon,  which  I 
at  last  reached,  somewhat  after  dark,  the  wound  in 
my  knee  being  by  no  means  improved  by  the  exer- 
tion. 

This  accident  was  a most  unfortunate  one:  it 
was  not  the  pain,  though  severe  enough,  that  I 
dreaded,  but  the  inconveniences  attending  it,  for  at 
no  period  of  my  travels  were  my  strength  and  en- 
ergy more  needed.  I could  not  afford  to  wait  until 
my  wounds  were  healed,  nor  had  I the  slightest 
idea  of  returning  by  the  route  in  which  we  were 
now  traveling.  Consequently,  it  was  of  the  utmost 
importance  to  me  to  make  all  my  observations  as 
I went  along.  There  were  astronomical  observa- 
tions to  be  made,  bearings  to  be  obtained,  and  a 
knowledge  to  be  acquired  of  the  physical  features 
of  the  country,  to  say  nothing  of  a host  of  duties 
of  a secondary  importance,  such  as  providing  for 
the  larder,  frequently  repairing  the  wagon,  and  look- 
ing out  for  and  making  roads,  etc.,  etc.  These 
things  were , however,  all  attended  to. 

Here  I may  as  well  mention  that  while,  owing 
to  the  injuries  I had  received,  I could  not  bear  any 
tight-fitting  garment,  an  old  dressing-gown  that  I 
happened  to  have  by  me  proved  quite  a treasure. 
At  night  it  served  as  a blanket ; in  a raw,  chilly 
morning  it  made  a comfortable  wrapper ; while  in 
cases  of  sickness  it  is  to  a traveler  circumstanced  as 


42  A DELIGHTFUL  SURPRISE. THORNLESS  TREES. 

I was  a luxury  and  comfort  which  can  not  be  too 
highly  appreciated. 

On  the  14th  of  April,  shortly  after  leaving  the 
fountain  of  Otjongoro,  we  suddenly  found  ourselves 
traveling  in  a forest  of  tall,  handsome  trees,  with- 
out thorns  ! I do  not  think  that  I was  ever  more 
agreeably  surprised  in  my  life — not  even  on  my 
first  entrance  on  the  plains  of  Ondonga.  The 
change  was  so  unexpected — a wood  of  beautiful  fo- 
liage is  so  rare  in  this  wretched  country — that  for 
a moment  I hesitated  to  trust  my  senses.  Even 
the  dull  faces  of  my  native  attendants  seemed  for  a 
few  seconds  to  relax  from  their  usual  heavy  unin- 
telligent cast,  and  to  express  joy  at  the  novel  scene. 

The  forest  we  were  now  passing  through  was 
composed  entirely  of  the  tree  called,  in  the  Damara 
language,  omutali.  This  tree  has  a dark  olive- 
green  leaf,  in  shape  like  a cloven  heart,  and  emits, 
when  rubbed  between  the  fingers,  an  agreeable  aro- 
matic scent.  On  the  under  surface  of  its  leaves  are 
innumerable  little  insect-cells,  of  a sweet,  sugary 
substance.  These  cells  are  said  to  be  much  relish- 
ed by  the  natives,  who  collect  them  in  great  quan- 
tities as  an  article  of  food.  The  bark  of  the  omu- 
tali is  of  a yellowish-white,  while  its  heart  is  of  a 
light  mahogany  color,  and,  as  far  as  I can  judge, 
capable  of  receiving  a very  high  polish.  This  part 
of  the  tree  is  very  closely  grained,  and  so  hard  as 
sometimes  to  blunt,  at  a single  stroke,  the  best- 
tempered  tools.  When  a strain  is  applied  to  it 


THE  DAMARA  PARENT-TREE. 


43 


longitudinally  it  appears  exceedingly  strong,  but  a 
sudden  jerk  or  heavy  transverse  pressure  will  shiv- 
er it  in  an  instant.  Being  straight  and  slender,  I 
tried  it  for  disselbooms,  but,  having  demolished 
three  of  them  in  the  course  of  a single  day’s  jour- 
ney, I gave  the  experiment  up.  For  building  pur- 
poses and  household  utensils  it  seems  that  this 
wood  is  well  adapted ; it  is  exposed,  however,  to 
the  attacks  of  that  destructive  little  insect,  the 
white  ant. 

Another  tree,  the  omomborombonga,  i.  6.,  the 
Damara  parent-tree,  became  also,  in  a little  time, 
pretty  abundant;  it  is  only  found  along  river 
courses,  where  it  sometimes  attains  to  most  gigan- 
tic proportions.  The  omomborombonga  is  very 
rare  in  southern  Damara  Land,  but  is  (as  I have 
already  mentioned  in  my  former  work)  common 
enough  to  the  eastward,  on  the  direct  route  to  Lake 
Ngami — a circumstance  which  led  me  to  believe 
that  the  Damaras  originally  entered  their  present 
abodes  from  that  quarter. 

The  following  rude  lines  pretty  well  describe  the 
qualities  and  peculiarities  of  this  tree : 

My  name  is  omborombonga ; 

I flourish  south  of  Ondonga 

(The  country  of  agricultural  Ovampo) ; 

My  land  of  birth  is  that  of  the  past’ral  ’Herero 
(Better  known  as  the  race 
Called  Cattle  Damaras), 

Who  claim  me  as  their  ma  and  pa, 

And  sure  I do  not  know  what  a’ ; 


44 


ELEPHANT  TRACKS. 


To  me  this ’s  strange  and  odd, 

For  I yield  nothing  but  wood. 

But  why  blame  people’s  fancy  ? — 

Their  parent  I am  and  must  be. 

I am  slow  of  growth, 

Like  gnarled  oak, 

Which  I rival  in  girth, 

And  much  outstrip  in  height, 

Overtopping  all  forest  trees. 

My  wood,  hard,  brittle,  and  cross, 

Unfriendly  to  all  edge  tools, 

Is  light  yellow  at  the  outer  rind, 

But  my  stout  heart  is  as  red 
As  the  sand  of  river-bed 
By  which  I best  thrive. 

Centuries  alfect  me  but  little — 

The  elements  assail  me  unavailingly — 

In  short,  my  age  is  a page 
In  Time’s  Being. 

The  day  after  our  agreeable  surprise  we  arrived 
at  a very  large  fountain  called  Ondjuona  (Little 
Elephant).  There  I saw,  for  the  first  time  on  this 
journey,  fresh  footprints  of  elephants — another  de- 
lightful surprise ! Cripple  as  I was,  I managed  to 
drag  myself  to  the  water  on  the  ensuing  night  for 
the  purpose  of  lying  in  ambush  for  the  mighty 
game ; but  I waited  to  no  purpose.  The  night 
turned  out  cloudy,  with  a slight  drizzling  rain,  and 
no  elephants  visited  the  place.  I could  not  afford 
to  delay,  and  so,  on  the  next  morning,  we  proceed- 
ed on  our  journey. 

The  road,  hitherto  bad  enough,  now  became  ex- 


MAGNIFICENT  MOUNTAIN  SCENERY. 


45 


ecrable.  Thom  jungles,  stones,  ruts,  ravines,  wa- 
ter-courses, etc.,  seemed  all  to  unite  to  hinder  our 
farther  progress.  The  labor,  consequently,  of  find- 
ing and  clearing  a passage  became  extremely  severe 
and  harassing,  and  the  risk,  moreover,  of  having 
the  wagon  capsized  or  smashed  gave  additional 
anxiety.  Fortunately,  it  was  an  exceedingly  good 
vehicle.  “God,”  said  Pereira  to  me  one  day, 
“watches  over  that  wagon;1’  and,  truly,  without 
speaking  irreverently,  there  seemed  something  prov- 
idential in  its  numerous  escapes.  However,  it  did 
not  escape  without  injuries  of  various  kinds,  which 
I managed,  nevertheless,  generally  to  repair  in  a 
satisfactory  manner. 

On  the  19th  of  April  we  found  ourselves  at  the 
base  of  a magnificent  limestone  (chalk)  range,  form- 
ing part  of  an  extensive  mountain  system.  It  pre- 
sented the  finest  and  most  peculiar  hill-scenery  I 
have  ever  seen.  For  upward  of  fifty  miles  it  formed 
a perfect  table,  with  perpendicular  side-cliffs  many 
hundred  feet  high.*  Toward  its  western  extremity 
the  range  wak  broken  into  detached  “tables,”  as 
beauteous  and  varied  in  aspect  as  can  possibly  be 
conceived.  There  were  extensive  fortifications,  with 
gigantic  buttresses  exquisitely  “worked”  in  their  de- 
tails ; crumbling  pieces  of  Gothic  architecture,  with 

* Those  of  my  readers  who  may  have  seen  those  remark- 
able formations  in  Sweden  called  Halle  and  Hunneberg , may 
form  a tolerably  correct  notion  of  the  range  now  alluded  to, 
for  they  resemble  it  closely  both  in  aspect  and  character. 


46 


A PERIODICAL  WATER-COURSE. 


all  the  delicate  outlines,  touches,  characteristics,  and 
finish  of  that  beautiful  art ; splendid  Italian  villas, 
with  terrace-like  slopes,  besprinkled  with  decaying 
sculptures,  variegated  marbles,  huge  sepulchral-like 
caverns,  stuccoed  grottoes,  and  many  other  singular 
and  fantastic  pageant  forms. 

.At  the  foot  of  this  interesting  range  a noble  peri- 
odical water-course  shaped  its  way,  its  banks  clothed 
with  a rich  verdure  of  every  hue,  while  here  and 
there  sprang  up  stately  groups  of  acacias,  inter- 
spersed with  pleasant  shrubs  and  sweet-smelling 
plants.  Grass,  also,  of  the  rankest  and  most  lux- 
uriant description,  fragrant  with  odors,  reached,  as 
they  labored  along  with  the  huge  and  cumbersome 
vehicle  behind  them,  the  oxen’s  bellies.  In  the  back- 
ground, and,  indeed,  almost  every  where  around  us, 
the  scene  was  bounded  by  extensive  and  lofty 
mountain  ranges,  the  magnificent  and  almost  fault- 
less granite  cone  Okonyenya  rising  in  a distant 
corner,  in  isolated  grandeur,  to  a height  of  about 
2200  feet  above  the  neighboring  country.  Alto- 
gether it  was  a striking  and  imposing  spectacle, 
wanting  only  a large  body  of  permanent  water  to 
make  its  beauty  perfect. 

On  the  ensuing  night  we  bivouacked  on  the  river 
in  question,  just  at  a point  where,  creating  a tre- 
mendous chasm,  it  had  forced  a passage  through  a 
projecting  angle  of  the  mountain.  On  one  side 
this  mountain  or  rock  rose  nearly  perpendicularly 
to  a height  of  at  least  1000  feet,  enveloping  every 


LOCKED  UP  AMONG-  THE  HILLS. 


47 


object  in  darkness  under  its  vast  shadow,  and  giving 
to  the  place  an  indescribably  cheerless  and  gloomy 
aspect.  This  picture,  however,  soon  underwent  a 
change ; for  the  moon  presently  shone  out  in  all 
its  brilliancy,  diffusing  a glorious  light  throughout 
the  whole  gorge,  the  instant  before  so  drear  and 
dismal. 

The  evening  was  calm  and  balmy,  and  the  atmos- 
phere steamed  with  sweet  aromatic  scents  rising 
from  the  grateful  earth,  just  refreshed  by  heavy 
thunder-showers.  The  solemnity  of  the  hour  and 
of  the  scene,  with  all  the  circumstances  of  my  posi- 
tion, plunged  me  into  a reflective  mood  ; and  reflect 
I did  more  than  was  my  wont,  for  I had  ample  cause 
to  do  so. 

When  yet  at  a distance  I had  carefully  recon- 
noitred this  range  through  the  telescope,  and  when 
sufficiently  near  to  scan  it  with  the  naked  eye  had 
anxiously  pried  into  its  every  crevice,  every  cranny, 
every  slight  indentation,  in  the  hope  of  finding  some 
break  or  opening  to  get  across  the  mountain — all  in 
vain.  To  add  to  my  perplexity,  I could  elicit  no 
satisfactory  information  from  my  guide,  who  had 
only  once,  and  then  on  foot,  crossed  the  range  be- 
fore us.  He  was  at  all  times  singularly  dull  and 
incommunicative,  except  when  women  and  cattle 
were  spoken  of,  when  he  was  talkative  enough  and 
quite  at  home.  He  had  previously  assured  me  that 
we  should  come  to  a place  where  it  would  take  at 
least  “ten  days  to  find  a passage  for  the  wagon.'” 


48 


THE  PASSAGE  THROUGH  THEM. 


Now  whether  this  was  the  spot  or  not  I could  not 
ascertain.  Patience,  consequently,  was  my  only  stay 
just  at  this  time,  though  the  morrow’s  sun  would 
probably  put  an  end  to  my  doubts.  It  was,  I own, 
then,  with  a heavy  heart  that  I betook  myself  to 
rest  that  night.  I had  a vague  presentiment  of 
some  difficulty  or  danger,  but  was  determined,  come 
in  what  shape  it  might,  to  brave  it  out. 

The  next  day,  at  an  early  hour,  we  again  moved 
forward.  The  guide  led  us  at  first  down  the  river 
in  a westerly  direction,  but,  after  a short  ride,  turn- 
ed abruptly  to  the  northward,  at  the  same  time  en- 
tering another  defile  running  at  right  angles  to  the 
course  we  had  hitherto  followed.  This  defile  I had 
been  unable  to  see  before  on  account  of  intervening 
rocks.  Well,  up  it  we  at  first  proceeded  pretty 
comfortably ; gradually,  however,  it  became  nar- 
rower ; hundreds  of  little  ravines  intersected  it  in 
every  direction,  considerably  retarding  our  progress, 
and  finally  bringing  us  to  a dead  stop.  Retreat 
was  impossible,  unless  we  had  taken  the  wagon  en- 
tirely to  pieces — a most  inconvenient  and  disagree- 
able alternative.  The  guide  declared  again  and 
again  that  there  was  not  any  other  exit.  In  this 
extremity,  we  renewed  the  attempt  at  pushing  for- 
ward, and  so  far,  with  great  trouble  and  exertion, 
succeeded  that  we  had  only  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  to  get  over  to  reach  a country  apparent- 
ly open  and  less  beset  with  difficulties.  Small, 
however,  as  this  distance  was,  it  offered  a most  for- 


THE  WAGON  SMASHED. 


49 


midable  resistance.  On  our  left  was  a ravine  fifty 
feet  deep,  while  the  rock  to  our  right  rose  high,  and 
was  almost  perpendicularly  steep.  After  a hurried 
survey,  I determined,  nevertheless,  to  risk  the  pas- 
sage, and  at  once  busied  myself  with  axe,  shovel, 
pick,  and  crowbar  in  removing  sundry  stones,  trees, 
and  boulders  that  impeded  our  progress.  In  pro- 
portion as  we  succeeded  in  clearing  a way,  the  driver 
had  orders  to  follow  cautiously  with  the  wagon. 

Under  these  circumstances,  having  just  turned 
a small  angle  of  the  rock,  which  hid  me  from  my 
party,  I was  actively  working  away  with  the  crow, 
when  there  suddenly  arose  behind  me  a confused 
shouting,  evidently  meant  as  a check  to  the  oxen, 
then  a harsh  grating  sound,  then  a dead  pause,  then 
thump,  thump,  thump,  followed  by  a frightful  crash 
and  a heart-piercing  cry  from  a bevy  of  women  who 
were  following  in  our  wake.  The  crowbar  fell  from 
my  powerless  hands,  and  I sank  down  on  the  rock, 
the  cold  drops  of  perspiration  trickling  down  my 
cheeks, while  I exclaimed  to  myself,  “Good  God! 
there  goes  my  wagon  and  some  poor  fellow  with  it.” 
For  a second  or  two,  not  a sound  being  audible,  I 
felt  too  agitated  to  move — in  short,  dared  not  pro- 
ceed farther  for  fear  of  seeing  my  worst  fears  real- 
ized. At  last,  feeling  suspense  more  dreadful  than 
a knowledge  of  the  true  state  of  affairs,  and  hearing 
the  women  in  the  rear  set  up  a chorus  of  distress- 
ing lamentations,  I rose  and  hurried  to  the  scene 
of  the  disaster  as  fast  as  my  crippled  condition,  for 

D 


50 


DAMAGE  REPAIRED. 


I was  still  suffering  from  the  wound  in  my  knee, 
would  permit. 

Near  the  bottom  of  the  ravine  lay  the  prostrate 
vehicle,  seemingly  a heap  of  ruins,  the  oxen  strug- 
gling wildly  to  free  themselves  from  their  uncom- 
fortable position,  and  hard  by  the  driver,  stunned 
and  bleeding,  sprawling  on  the  ground.  The  lat- 
ter, however,  thank  God ! soon  got  up,  not  having 
sustained  any  very  serious  injury.  When  the  wag- 
on first  began  to  slide  off  the  slippery  ledge  it  was 
crossing,  the  poor  fellow  was  on  the  side  nearest 
the  precipice,  endeavoring  to  keep  up  the  u after” 
oxen ; but,  on  seeing  all  his  efforts  unavailing,  he 
had  the  presence  of  mind  to  dive  under  the  dissel- 
boom,  and  thus,  though  knocked  down  by  the  pole, 
probably  saved  his  life. 

Dismal  and  discouraging  as  things  now  looked, 
I did  not  give  way  to  useless  lamentations.  In  a 
few  minutes  every  available  hand  was  hard  at  work. 
The  oxen  were  soon  set  free,  and  I was  truly  de- 
lighted to  find  that  the  axles  had  sustained  no  in- 
jury. By  arduous  efforts,  in  which  all  zealously 
joined,  we  not  only  succeeded  in  righting  the  wag- 
on and  replenishing  it  with  its  usual  stores,  but, 
just  as  the  sun  was  diffusing  its  last  golden  rays 
over  the  picturesque  broken  tables  that  surrounded 
us,  we  were  once  more  able  to  move  forward. 

Of  course  our  former  route  was  out  of  the  ques- 
tion, but  we  managed  successfully  to  ascend  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  ravine,  which,  though  far  from 


A DENSE  BUSH. 


51 


affording  either  an  easy  or  safe  passage,  still  en- 
abled us  to  extricate  ourselves  from  our  perilous 
position  without  farther  accident.  The  last  streaks 
of  daylight  disappearing  in  the  encroaching  dark- 
ness saw  us  pitching  our  tents  in  an  open  and  con- 
venient spot,  grateful  to  be  allowed  a quiet  night’s 
rest  after  a hard  day’s  work. 

The  real  extent  of  the  damage  sustained  I did 
not  ascertain  until  some  days  later,  when  I was 
particularly  glad  to  find  that  my  instruments  and 
guns,  my  chief  cares,  had  received  but  trivial  inju- 
ries. 

The  following  morning  we  continued  our  jour- 
ney, and  arrived  on  the  same  evening  at  a fountain 
called  Okahongottie,  situated  in  a small  river  bed. 
The  country,  like  that  we  had  traversed  on  many  a 
previous  day,  was  exceedingly  unfavorable  for  wag- 
on traveling.  It  was  densely  wooded,  and  be- 
sprinkled with  huge  flint-like  fragments  of  lime- 
stones, which  sadly  cut  and  lacerated  the  feet  of 
both  men  and  beasts.  The  bush  was  in  some  places 
so  dense  that  a man  on  foot  could  not  force  a pas- 
sage through  it  without  having  recourse  to  a hatch- 
et. In  this  day’s  march  we  probably  cut  down 
1500  trees  and  bushes. 


52 


LIMESTONE  HILLS. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Another  Limestone  Range  of  Hills. — Passage  through  it  at 
last  found. — Clearing  a Road  through  Rocks. — The  Wagon 
like  a Ship  in  a heavy  Cross-sea. — The  Fountains  of  Otji- 
dambi. — Traces  of  human  Habitation. — The  Ovaherero  and 
the  Namaquas. — The  Hottentots  and  Damaras. — Cattle  and 
Sheep  stealing. — Guides  at  a Loss. — Two  Natives  captured. 
— One  of  them  forced  to  become  a Guide. — The  Natives  of 
a Village  flee  away  in  alarm.  — A few  Presents  reconcile 
some  of  them  to  become  Guides. — An  Accident:  a Dog 
killed  instead  of  a Hyena. — A grand  Illumination:  Fields 
on  lire. — A LIurricane. — The  Passage  of  a Defile. — Game 
rare. — Long  Shots. — The  Guide  escapes. — Several  Werfts 
(Hamlets)  and  Vleys  (Wells). — Scarcity  of  Water. — Quest 
of  Water.  — Kind-heartedness  of  Damara  Women.  — No 
Guides. — No  Water,  and  Country  parched  and  desolate. — 
One  more  Attempt  to  go  forward. 

We  were  now  fairly  through  the  limestone  table 
which  for  some  time  had  given  me  so  much  uneasi- 
ness, and  I was  flattering  myself  that  the  difficult 
place  pointed  to  by  my  guide  was  passed ; but  in 
this  hope  I was  deceived. 

Immediately  fronting  us  was  another  line  of  lime- 
stone ranges  of  a different  description  and  charac- 
ter— carboniferous,  rugged,  and  peaked.  They  did 
not  look  very  formidable  at  a distance,  but  on  a 
nearer  approach  were  really  found  to  be  so. 

Two  parties  I had  posted  off  in  different  direc- 


THE  WAGON  IN  LABOR. 


53 


tions,  in  search  of  a passage  through  this  range, 
returned  after  some  days1  absence  without  any  suc- 
cess. It  was,  they  said,  utterly  impossible  for  a 
wagon  to  cross  the  mountain.  Even  a man  on  foot 
had  to  pick  his  way.  A third  party,  however,  was 
more  successful ; for,  after  skirting  the  hills  for  a 
considerable  distance,  they  at  last  found  a pass 
which  they  deemed  practicable.  It  was  consider- 
ably out  of  the  direct  route,  but  I felt  thankful  for 
any  chance  that  offered  itself,  and  lost  no  time  in 
setting  out. 

We  entered  the  defile  in  question  on  the  second 
day  after  our  departure  from  Okahongottie.  The 
greater  portion  of  the  passage  was  accomplished 
without  much  inconvenience,  and  I was  congratu- 
lating myself  on  the  worst  being  over,  when  sud- 
denly our  progress  was  checked  by  a ravine  choked 
with  huge  boulders,  fragments  of  rock,  quartz  stones, 
trees,  bushes,  etc.  Unyoking  the  oxen,  I at  once 
set  every  man  and  woman  to  work,  leading  the  way 
myself  with  a powerful  crowbar.  After  six  hours 
of  unremitting  exertions,  I had  so  far  succeeded 
in  opening  a pass  that  I ventured  on  proceeding, 
though  it  was  still  on  break-neck  and  cut-throat 
looking  ground.  On,  on  crushed  the  huge  vehicle, 
thumping  and  creaking  very  much  like  a vessel 
buffeting  a strong  cross-sea,  and  marking  its  prog- 
ress with  sparkling  streams  of  fire  as  the  wheels 
came  into  collision  with  the  more  than  iron-tem- 
pered surface  of  the  rock.  It  was  devil-a-care,  let 


54  THE  OVAHERERO  AND  THE  NAMAQUAS. 

go ; and  I felt  quite  frightened,  often  holding  my 
breath  in  anxious  suspense.  Indeed,  I did  not 
breathe  freely  until  we  were  fairly  across  the  ridge, 
when,  to  my  great  delight,  I found  the  country  sud- 
denly change  for  the  better. 

Both  soil  and  vegetation  were  now  different,  our 
progress  for  some  days  was  comparatively  easy,  and 
on  the  morning  of  May-day  we  found  ourselves  at 
the  fine  fountains  of  Otjidambi. 

Otjidambi  is  a collection  of  wells  and  pits  (fed  by 
powerful  springs)  partly  dug  in  the  sandy  soil  of 
the  banks  of  a periodical  rivulet,  and  partly  scoop- 
ed out  of  limestone.  The  place  had  a pleasant  but 
curious  aspect — rock  and  plain  alternating.  The 
former  was  a succession  of  parallel  ridges  of  gran- 
ite, cone-shaped,  running  about  east  and  west,  each 
ridge  being  composed  of  innumerable  blocks,  some 
fifty  to  one  hundred  feet  high,  piled  up,  as  if  sys- 
tematically, on  one  another. 

Hitherto  we  had  scarcely  seen  a human  being, 
but  that  the  country  was  inhabited  was  evident 
from  the  occasional  footprints  met  with  in  the 
sand.  At  one  time  the  Kaoko,  like  the  rest  of 
Damara  Land,  must  have  been  fairly  besprinkled 
with  homesteads  of  the  pastoral  Ovaherero,  who 
possessed  numerous  herds  of  cattle.  But  of  these 
they  had  been  gradually  deprived  by  their  unscru- 
pulous neighbors  the  Namaquas.  It  was  only,  in- 
deed, the  year  previous  to  my  visit  that  a party  of 
Hottentots  had  extended  their  forays  to  these  dis- 


EXTINCTION  OF  THE  DAMARAS. 


55 


tant  tracts,  and  had  succeeded  in  carrying  off  a con- 
siderable number  of  cattle  and  sheep.  This,  how- 
ever, was  not  accomplished  without  severe  losses ; 
for,  contrary  to  their  wont,  the  Damaras  had  ven- 
tured to  resist  the  intruders.  A desperate  fight, 
which  resulted  in  the  Namaquas  losing  above  one 
half  of  their  total  number,  was  the  consequence. 
The  few  surviving  Damaras  still  possessing  cattle 
then  fled  in  a north  and  northwest  direction.  They 
are  represented  as  braver  and  more  warlike  than 
the  rest  of  their  brethren,  yet  no  one  acquainted 
with  this  country  can  for  a moment  doubt  that  ere 
long  they  must  share  the  fate  of  their  countrymen. 
It  was,  then,  with  feelings  of  pain  that  I wandered 
over  these  extensive  regions,  once  resounding  with 
the  lowings  and  bleatings  of  herds  and  flocks,  and 
the  merry  voices  of  a happy  and  careless  race,  now 
a waste,  tenanted  by  a handful  of  poverty-stricken 
wretches,  gaining  a precarious  subsistence  by  the 
chase  and  uncertain  crops  of  wild  roots  and  berries. 

My  guide’s  information  now  flagged.  Hitherto 
he  had  shown  a fair  knowledge  of  the  country, 
gained  chiefly,  I found,  by  marauding  and  cattle- 
lifting forays  against  his  countrymen.  At  first  his 
ignorance  of  our  whereabouts  did  not  give  me  much 
anxiety,  as  I thought  we  should  be  sure  to  stumble 
upon  water  here  and  there,  the  rainy  season  being 
apparently  just  over;  but,  alas!  I was  in  this  an- 
ticipation very  much  deceived,  as  the  sequel  will 
show. 


56 


A GUIDE  CAPTURED. 


The  day  before  reaching  Otjidambi  we  had  per- 
ceived recent  spoors  of  human  beings  in  the  sand, 
and  even  columns  of  smoke  in  the  distance.  In 
the  hope,  therefore,  of  securing  a fresh  guide,  I dis- 
patched a few  men  to  reconnoitre  this  company  of 
natives ; but  they  fled  on  our  first  approach,  and 
my  messengers  were  not  able  to  overtake  them. 
Nothing  then  remained  but  dependence  on  our  own 
efforts.  A party  was  accordingly  organized  for 
the  purpose  of  exploring  the  country  ahead,  and 
much  surprised  and  pleased  I was  when,  early  the 
next  day  after  their  departure,  they  returned,  bring- 
ing with  them  a Damara  man  and  woman  whom 
they  had  captured.  The  poor  devils  were  dread- 
fully frightened,  but  a gorge  on  fat  mutton  and 
plenty  of  backshish  soon  allayed  their  fears.  By 
a strict  cross-questioning  I learned  from  the  man 
something  about  our  route,  finding,  nevertheless, 
afterward  serious  flaws  in  his  statements.  He  as- 
sured us  that  at  about  a day’s  journey  from  Otji- 
dambi lay  a werft  of  his  friends,  who  would  direct 
us  farther.  Of  course  I meant  him  to  bring  us  to 
this  place,  but  kept  my  own  counsel  until  the  fol- 
lowing morning,  when,  every  thing  being  in  readi- 
ness for  a start,  I ordered  him  to  lead  the  way. 
He  had  evidently  expected  to  be  let  off  with  mere 
words,  and  showed  himself  reluctant  to  obey.  How- 
ever, I cut  the  matter  very  short  by  giving  him  the 
choice  of  an  ounce  of  lead  through  his  brains,  or  a 
handsome  remuneration  if  he  guided  us  satisfac- 
torily. 


TIMIDITY  OF  THE  NATIVES. 


57 


For  the  first  hour  or  two  we  made  good  prog- 
ress, the  country  being  unusually  favorable  for  wag- 
on-traveling ; but  suddenly  we  arrived  at  the  spur 
of  one  of  those  irregular  cone-shaped  granite  ridges 
above  mentioned,  which  occasioned  us  much  delay 
and  trouble.  However,  after  a few  hours’  hard 
work,  we  succeeded  in  clearing  the  rocks ; and  hav- 
ing once  more  a fair  road  to  travel  on,  we  reached, 
a few  minutes  before  sunset,  a small  fountain  called 
Okava — the  spot  indicated  by  our  guide  as  the 
abode  of  his  friends.  This  statement  proved  cor- 
rect ; yet  before  we  got  to  the  place  the  birds  had 
flown,  alarmed,  probably,  by  the  noisy  approach  of 
our  wagon  and  the  cracking  of  the  driver’s  whip. 

The  next  morning  I sent  parties  out  in  search 
of  the  runaways,  with  orders  to  bring  them  back  if 
possible.  After  long  tracking,  one  of  these  parties 
came  upon  some  men,  who  would  not  allow  my 
people,  although  in  company  with  our  new  guide, 
to  approach  them.  It  was  in  vain  to  assure  them 
that  my  object  was  quite  pacific ; they  would  listen 
to  no  overtures.  At  last  a woman,  who  had  been 
absent  from  home  on  our  arrival,  and  was  thus  un- 
conscious of  our  presence,  was  pounced  upon  and 
secured  while  walking  leisurely  up  to  the  water  to 
quench  her  thirst.  She  was  a young  and  comely 
damsel,  and  I lavished  upon  her,  besides  all  sorts 
of  coaxing  and  winning  expressions,  beads,  meat, 
tobacco,  etc.  Fortunately,  we  needed  not  her  as- 
sistance ; for  on  the  third  day  all  the  fugitives  un- 


58 


THE  RUNAWAYS  RETURN. 


expectedly  stood  before  us  of  their  own  accord.  I 
was  both  pleased  and  surprised  at  this  sudden  turn 
of  affairs.  It  was  owing  to  the  representations  of 
my  new  guide’s  companion,  a woman  whom  I had 
dismissed  with  a present  and  friendly  assurances  a 
short  time  before. 

The  chief  of  our  new  acquaintances  was  a well- 
fed  and  rather  good-looking  young  fellow.  Sun- 
dry uninteresting  remarks  and  a present  of  tobacco 
having  been  interchanged,  I requested  him  to  fur- 
nish me  with  guides  to  the  Ovagandjera — the  near- 
est tribe.  He  appeared  reluctant  to  comply  with 
the  proposal,  but  said  he  would  consider.  I was 
determined,  however,  to  have  guides  at  any  cost. 

That  same  evening  a melancholy  incident  oc- 
curred. I was  “*  observing”  at  a little  distance 
from  my  wagon,  when  suddenly  my  attention  was 
drawn  to  a peculiar  grating  sound,  as  of  some  ani- 
mal gnawing  or  crunching  bones.  Walking  back 
to  the  bivouac  fire,  I asked  my  servants  in  a dis- 
tinct voice,  “Are  all  our  dogs  here?”  “Yes,  all 
are  here,”  was  the  prompt  reply.  “Quite  sure?” 
“Yes,  sir,  quite  sure.”  Taking  for  granted,  there- 
fore, that  a hyena,  or  some  other  beast  of  prey,  was 
intruding  upon  us,  I picked  up  my  gun  and  pro- 
ceeded in  the  direction  still  indicated  by  the  grating 
sounds.  At  last  I perceived  a dark,  conspicuous- 
looking  object,  and  when  within  a few  paces  leveled 
and  fired.  The  bullet  sped  true ; but,  alas  ! instead 
of  having  destroyed  an  obnoxious  animal,  I found, 


POOR  cjssar! 


59 


to  my  dismay,  that  I had  shot  my  best  and  favor- 
ite dog,  Caesar.  I recognized  him  at  once  by  the 
cry  of  pain  he  uttered  on  receiving  the  fatal  lead. 
Calling  one  of  my  men,  I had  the  poor  brute  car- 
ried to  the  fire  to  see  what  could  be  done  for  him ; 
but  a glance  at  the  wound  at  once  convinced  me 
that  his  life  could  not  be  saved.  In  order,  there- 
fore, to  put  an  end  to  his  misery,  I drew  my  re- 
volver and  lodged  a bullet  in  the  head  of  the  faith- 
ful creature.  The  scene  sickened  and  saddened 
me  indescribably.  Those  who  know  what  it  is  to 
lose  a beloved  dog,  especially  under  such  distress- 
ing circumstances,  who  has  been  their  faithful  com- 
panion and  guardian  during  many  a dark  and  dis- 
mal night,  will  easily  understand  my  grief.  Poor 
Cassar ! 

The  next  day  the  chief  again  made  his  appear- 
ance, and  at  an  early  hour,  but  no  guides  were  vis- 
ible. I at  once  demanded  why  the  latter  had  not 
arrived,  when  he  replied  rather  sulkily,  “None  of 
my  people  will  go.”  “Well,  then,”  I sternly  re- 
joined, “if  that’s  the  case,  you  yourself  must  go .” 
This  led  to  a fresh  consultation,  which  ended  in 
two  individuals  presenting  themselves  as  willing 
to  guide  me  to  the  nation  lately  alluded  to.  Of 
course,  as  there  was  no  natural  inclination  on  their 
part  for  this  service,  but  quite  the  contrary,  I felt 
that  the  game  I was  playing  was  a hazardous  one, 
and  that,  consequently,  it  behooved  me  to  be  more 
than  usually  on  my  guard. 


60  A NATURAL  ILLUMINATION. 

I started  the  same  day  for  Okaoa.  On  demand- 
ing how  far  it  was  to  the  nearest  water,  some  said 
two,  others  ten  days’  journey ; but,  on  being  press- 
ed and  cross-questioned,  they  unanimously  declared 
that  a man  on  foot  would  have  to  sleep  two  nights 
on  the  way,  which  would  be  equal  to  three  days’ 
journeying  with  a wagon.  In  this  instance  I be- 
lieved our  informants,  yet  took  every  precaution  I 
could  to  insure  our  safety. 

The  first  night  we  bivouacked  at  the  foot  of  an 
elevated  limestone  range  (facing  another  which  we 
had  crossed  in  the  course  of  the  day)  of  precisely 
the  same  nature  as  those  which  had  already  proved 
so  troublesome,  and  on  this  night  I witnessed  one 
of  the  finest  natural  illuminations  I remember  to 
have  seen  in  Africa.  The  whole  of  the  range  facing 
us — i.  e .,  the  one  we  had  traversed — exhibited  one 
magnificent  blaze  of  fire,  kept  vividly  alive  by  a 
high  wind.  The  flames  crossed  and  chased  one  an- 
other like  furies — here  rising  high  above  the  in- 
flamed substances,  as  if  unsatisfied  with  their  low 
prey  and  career — there  rushing  in  snake-like  folds, 
as  if  writhing  under  some  agonizing  torture — now 
smouldering  for  a moment  as  if  gasping  for  breath, 
then  shooting  up  into  the  heavens  with  redoubled 
vigor ; in  short,  assuming  all  sorts  of  brilliant  and 
fantastical  shapes.  Yet,  splendid  as  this  conflagra- 
tion was,  it  fell  far  short  of  one  I beheld  afterward, 
and  which,  associated  as  it  was  with  circumstances 
most  peculiar  and  painful,  will  never  be  obliterated 
from  my  memory. 


THE  COUNTRY  ON  FIRE. 


61 


At  an  early  hour  on  the  following  morning  we 
were  on  the  move.  A regular  hurricane  swept  the 
country,  accompanied  with  a chilliness  quite  win- 
try. My  hands  became  in  a short  time  so  benumb- 
ed that  it  was  with  difficulty  I could  carry  my  gun. 
The  natives  suffered  intensely.  Almost  immediate- 
ly after  our  departure  we  entered  a defile  infinitely 
more  formidable  than  any  we  had  hitherto  trav- 
ersed. On  viewing  the  huge  boulders  and  sharp 
rock-ledges  that  obstructed  our  passage,  my  blood 
almost  ran  cold  with  discouragement.  But  I will 
not  trouble  the  reader  with  details.  Suffice  it  to 
say,  that  after  due  delays  and  hard  work  we  accom- 
plished our  object,  though  the  wagon,  in  addition 
to  the  chance  of  being  capsized  or  smashed,  barely 
escaped  destruction  by  fire. 

In  their  usual  thoughtless  manner,  the  natives 
had,  to  our  horror,  suddenly  set  fire  to  the  grass ; 
and  as  the  pass  through  which  we  were  progressing 
was  narrow,  and  the  wind  high,  the  whole  mount- 
ain was  soon  enveloped  in  flames  and  smoke,  from 
which  we  only  extricated  ourselves  with  extreme 
difficulty ; indeed,  this  was  a danger  to  which  we 
now  found  ourselves  daily  exposed.  Wherever  we 
went,  smoke  and  fire  were  before,  around,  and  be- 
hind us ; for  it  is  customary  with  the  tribes  of 
South  Africa  to  fire  the  grass  when  it  has  arrived 
at  a certain  state  of  maturity  and  dryness. 

A short  time  before  sunset  we  reached  a small 
vley,  where  a werft  of  Ovatjimba,  or  poor  Damaras, 


62 


A LONG  SHOT. 


had  established  themselves.  The  water  we  here 
found,  being  quite  unlooked  for,  was  especially  wel- 
come, so  that  we  began  to  think  the  natives  had 
again  deceived  us ; but  in  this  conjecture  we  were 
mistaken.  We  bivouacked  in  this  place  the  next 
day,  and,  having  duly  pastured  and  watered  our 
cattle,  etc.,  continued  to  travel  on. 

Game,  which  throughout  our  journeys  had  been 
scarce,  now  became  still  more  so.  A dead  gems- 
bok,  which  we  found  in  a state  of  decomposition, 
and  evidently  destroyed  by  a poisoned  arrow,  was 
hailed  with  joy  as  a God-send ; and  no  less  so  were 
two  or  three  ostriches  which  I succeeded  in  knock- 
ing over.  One  of  these  birds  I killed  at  the  long 
range  of  374  yards.  I stepped  the  distance  care- 
fully twice,  and  as  the  locality  happened  to  be  per- 
fectly level,  there  could  be  little  or  no  error  in  the 
measurement.  My  friend  Green  would  treat  this 
feat  as  a bagatelle,  but  I felt  proud  of  the  perform- 
ance. 

I never  could  from  experience  understand  how, 
at  immense  distances  of  from  500  to  1000  yards, 
great  Nimrods  frequently  kill,  or  are  said  to  kill, 
their  game.  They  laugh  at  you  when  you  call  200 
yards  a long  range.  But  their  vaunts  remind  me 
of  the  answer  given  by  a certain  fusileer  to  one  who 

asked  him  how  a 24-pounder  at  the  battle  of 

could  have  been  propelled  over  a four-feet-high  wall 
at  a gallop.  “ Speed  does  it,  sir ; but,  Lor1,  .that  is 
nothing,11  was  his  reply. 


THE  GUIDE  ESCAPES. 


63 


In  the  afternoon  of  the  second  day  after  leaving 
the  vley  we  had  fairly  left  all  landmarks  behind  us, 
and  the  hills  began  to  assume  that  azure  tint  which 
is  so  indicative  of  distance.  Nothing  was  seen 
ahead  but  immense  grass  savannas,  dotted  with  oc- 
casional clumps  of  trees  and  low  brushwood.  The 
soil  was  the  same — red  sand — but  the  grass,  though 
as  luxuriant  as  ever,  was  of  an  inferior  quality. 
The  fine  sweet  grasses,  so  peculiar  to  Damara  Land, 
had  given  place  to  equally  rank,  but  sour  and  brack- 
ish pasturages. 

A short  time  before  sunset  I observed  the  guide 
loitering  behind.  Hitherto  I had  never  allowed 
the  fellow  to  go  out  of  my  sight ; but  as  he  was 
waiting  for  his  wife,  who  was  coming  up  in  a sick- 
ly state  to  join  us,  I left  him  alone.  This  was  a 
fatal  mistake.  I never  saw  the  scoundrel  after- 
ward. Nevertheless,  we  were  again,  at  an  early 
hour  the  next  morning,  moving  ahead  in  the  direc- 
tion pointed  out  by  him  on  the  preceding  day. 

After  a few  hours’  journeying  we  came  all  at 
once  upon  several  werfts,  some  of  which  had  evi- 
dently not  been  long  evacuated.  There  were  nu- 
merous vleys  in  the  neighborhood.  One  or  two 
of  these  vleys  appeared  not  to  have  been  dry  above 
a week.  The  people  who  had  dwelt  in  the  neigh- 
borhood evidently  possessed  cattle  and  goats ; and 
as  their  folds  were  of  a description  resembling  those 
constructed  by  the  Ovambo,  I concluded  that  the 
owners  were  Ovagandjera — the  tribe  we  were  in 


64 


DEARTH  OP  WATER. 


search  of.  All  these  signs  we  thought  favorable ; 
and  so,  despite  the  absence  of  our  guide,  we  felt  in- 
spired with  fresh  hopes.  Still  thinking  it  possible 
the  absentee  would  overtake  us,  I outspanned  a sec- 
ond time,  and  proceeded  without  delay  to  recon- 
noitre. I also  dispatched  several  parties  in  differ- 
ent directions  in  quest  of  water,  but  all  returned, 
after  many  hours  of  fatiguing  search,  without  find- 
ing the  slightest  indication  of  any.  Thirst  in  the 
mean  time  began  to  tell  dreadfully  on  our  party ; 
the  cattle  were  also  sorely  distressed  for  want  of 
drink. 

Under  these  circumstances  it  would  have  been 
madness  to  advance ; nothing  therefore  remained 
to  us  but  to  retrace  our  steps  in  double-quick  time ; 
and,  fortunately,  there  was  a crescent  moon,  by  the 
light  of  which  we  succeeded  in  gaining  the  bivouac 
we  had  left  that  very  morning. 

A fire  had  passed  over  the  spot,  and  the  ground 
was  in  places  so  hot  — indeed,  there  were  still 
smouldering  embers  here  and  there — that  it  singed 
and  scorched  our  shoes.  This  was  easily  account- 
ed for ; for  when  leaving  the  place  in  the  morning 
I observed  Mortar  piling  all  the  superfluous  wood 
on  the  fire.  From  a vague  impression  that  it  might 
possibly  one  day  be  needed,  I remarked,  “Don't  do 
so,  John."  “Oh,  surely,"  he  replied,  “we  shall 
never  have  occasion  to  bivouac  here  again."  “I 
trust  not,"  I rejoined;  “yet  who  knows?"  My 
forebodings,  alas ! proved  but  too  true. 


KINDNESS,  THY  NAME  IS  WOMAN.  65 

The  next  day  a pleasing  incident  occurred,  which 
I find  thus  recorded  (I  copy  word  for  word)  in  my 
diary:  u Observed  an  agreeable  trait  in  the  char- 
acter of  our  Damara  women,  which  forcibly  be- 
spoke the  heart  of  the  woman , let  the  color  of  her 
skin  be  black  or  white.  Several  of  the  men  in 
charge  of  the  loose  cattle  had  remained  behind  to 
dig  up  some  moist  and  palatable  roots  and  bulbs, 
which  appeared  rather  plentiful  in  a particular 
spot.  On  repassing  us,  the  wagon-driver  and  the 
leader,  both  suffering  intensely  from  thirst,  asked 
these  men  for  a taste  of  the  roots  they  had  already 
possessed  themselves  of,  but  were  flatly  refused.  A 
few  minutes  afterward,  two  of  the  women  (not  in 
any  wray  connected  with  the  soliciting  party),  who 
had  also  remained  behind  to  procure  a few  of  the 
juicy  herbs,  passed  us,  and,  without  being  asked, 
handed  a couple  of  roots  to  each  of  the  men  who 
had  just  begged  for  a taste  of  one  in  vain  from  their 
boon  companions.  1 Kindness,  thou  hast  built  thy- 
self a noble  temple — woman  ! 1 ” 

On  the  night  of  the  fourth  day  we  reached  the 
vley  where,  on  traveling  northward,  we  had  found 
the  werft  of  Ovatjimba.  Unfortunately,  the  water, 
or  rather  the  muddy  slime,  was  only  sufficient  for  a 
small  portion  of  our  cattle,  and  I had  therefore  to 
post  them  off  to  the  fountain  Okaoa — another  day’s 
journey — making  in  all  five  entire  days  that  the 
poor  brutes  had  been  without  a drink.  I and 
Mortar  remained  with  the  wagon. 

E 


66 


ADVANCE  OR  RETREAT? 


The  question  that  arose  now  was,  Was  I to  give 
up  all  farther  hopes  of  penetrating  to  the  Cunene  ? 
The  mere  idea  was  agonizing ; yet,  from  what  I 
had  seen  of  the  country,  it  was  impossible  to  pro- 
ceed farther  unless  assisted  by  efficient  guides. 
Natural  springs  there  appeared  to  be  few  or  none, 
and  all  the  temporary  rain-water  pools  were  ex- 
hausted— in  short,  the  country  was  dry  and  parch- 
ed in  the  extreme.  From  this  I inferred  that  the 
rains  in  these  parts  either  fell  much  earlier  than  in 
the  southern  portion  of  Damara  Land,  or  had  been 
unusually  scanty  during  the  last  season.  The  chief 
at  Okaoa  had  assured  me  before  parting  that  the 
road  to  the  Ovagandjera,  with  cattle,  was  only 
practicable  in  the  wet  season.  I did  not  give  full 
credit  to  his  statement  at  the  time,  but  that  it  was 
true  experience  afterward  fully  proved. 

After  some  little  hesitation  I resolved  on  one 
more  attempt,  provided  I could  obtain  fresh  guides, 
and,  if  then  unsuccessful,  to  make  my  way  back  to 
the  precincts  of  Damara-Land  civilization,  whence 
to  accomplish,  if  possible,  my  object  by  a more  eli- 
gible, though  perhaps  more  circuitous  route.  Of 
course  this  would  involve  much  loss  of  time,  and 
require  an  extra  stock  of  patience  and  persever- 
ance. But  I had  set  my  heart  on  the  undertaking, 
and  nothing  but  insurmountable  physical  difficul- 
ties, sickness  or  death,  could  deter  me  from  making 
every  effort  to  carry  it  into  effect.  I find  the  fol- 
lowing remarks  about  my  present  perplexity  jotted 


NEW  GUIDES  OBTAINED. 


67 


down  in  my  journal  on  the  very  day  I began  to  re- 
trace my  steps : 

u Will  the  cattle,  etc.,  hold  out  ? God  grant  they 
may ; but  it  will  be  a hard  push.  Is  this,  then,  to 
be  the  upshot  of  an  expedition  I have  had  so  much 
at  heart,  and  for  which  I have  sacrificed  every 
thing — happiness,  comforts,  security,  in  short,  all 
that  makes  life  tolerable?  Is  it  for  this  I suffer 
the  extremes  of  cold  and  heat,  hunger  and  thirst — 
for  which  I brave  every  danger  attendant  upon 
traveling  in  a barbarous  country  ? No,  it  can  not, 
it  must  not  be ! ....  ” 

Having  come  to  the  resolution  thus  expressed, 
I sent  Pereira  to  Okaoa  to  treat  with  the  Damara 
chief  for  fresh  guides.  I directed  him  to  threaten 
and  coax  alternately,  according  as  he  found  the 
party  he  had  to  deal  with  stubborn  or  yielding. 
His  efforts  were  happily  crowned  with  success,  for 
late  in  the  evening  of  the  second  day  he  returned, 
bringing  with  him  two  men,  of  whom  one  was  said 
to  know  the  country  to  the  northward  exceedingly 
well.  On  engaging  them,  I entered  into  a compact 
with  myself  never  to  allow  them  to  get  out  of  my 
sight  either  by,  day  or  by  night,  and  I was  faithful 
to  my  word.  But,  alas ! all  my  care  and  trouble 
proved  entirely  unavailing,  and  that  from  a cause, 
as  will  be  seen  in  the  following  chapter,  quite  un- 
expected. 


68 


THE  GUIDES  LOSE  THEIR  WAY. 


CHAPTEE  IV. 

The  Guides  lose  their  Way. — The  Lives  of  the  whole  Party 
at  stake. — A Search  for  Water  in  all  Directions. — In  vain. — 
Necessity  of  returning  without  Delay. — Two  Men  explor- 
ing the  Country  for  Water  left  behind. — The  Sufferings  of 
the  Men  and  Animals  from  Thirst. — Retreat  resolved  upon. 
— A grand  and  appalling  Conflagration. — The  Magnificence 
of  the  Spectacle. — The  Cattle  one  hundred  and  fifty  Hours 
without  a single  Drop  of  Water. — The  two  Men  left  behind 
make  their  Appearance. — The  Water  so  long  searched  for 
found. — Okaoa  reached  in  Safety. — Ondjuona  the  favorite 
Resort  of  Elephants. — The  annual  Pilgrimage  of  these  An- 
imals to  another  Station. — The  Damara  Mode  of  Elephant- 
hunting.— View  from  the  Summit  of  Okonyenya. — Country 
surveyed. — A Thunder-storm  under  Foot. 

During  tlie  first  day’s  march  on  this  new  start 
we  followed  the  spoor  of  our  wagon  in  our  first  at- 
tempt, but  afterward  inclined  more  to  the  eastward. 
Our  troubles  very  soon  commenced.  On  the  second 
evening,  or  on  the  third  after  leaving  Okaoa,  I saw 
the  guides  suddenly  halt  and  look  about  them,  as 
if  undecided  how  to  proceed.  They  had  a short 
time  previously  declared  that  we  should  reach 
water  that  night.  My  suspicions  were  therefore 
at  once  aroused,  or  rather  my  heart  misgave  me. 
“ Surely,11  I muttered  to  myself,  “the  fellows  are 
trying  to  deceive  us,  or  they  have  lost  their  way!11 


LOST  IN  THE  WILDERNESS. 


69 


The  one  conjecture  was  as  bad  as  the  other.  For 
a few  seconds  I remained  silent ; but,  seeing  them 
still  wavering,  I advanced,  and  in  a voice  trembling 
with  rage  and  distress,  thundered  out,  u Where  is 
the  water,  men  1”  adding,  with  my  fowling-piece 
presented  at  the  head  of  the  acting  guide,  “If  you 
don’t  bring  us  to  water  before  noon  to-morrow,  you 
die.  Proceed.”  It  soon  became  obvious,  however, 
that  they  had  lost  themselves , and  that,  under  such 
circumstances,  threats  would  only  tend  still  more  to 
confuse  them.  I consequently,  as  they  were  wan- 
dering to  and  fro  like  men  groping  in  the  dark,  and 
the  night  was  fast  closing  upon  us,  sounded  a halt 
to  bivouac.  That  night  was  perhaps  the  most  pain- 
ful one  in  my  life.  I felt  most  keenly  that  not 
only  the  issue  of  the  undertaking,  but  the  lives  of 
my  party,  were  at  stake.  The  agony  I suffered  is 
indescribable ; yet,  lest  I should  frighten  my  at- 
tendants, I did  not  betray  the  deep  emotions  that 
agitated  me.  They  had,  nevertheless,  already  taken 
the  alarm  ; dismay — nay,  despair — was  depicted  on 
every  countenance ; but,  be  it  said  to  their  credit, 
not  a murmur  escaped  them.  Supposing  the  place 
we  were  in  search  of  should  not  be  found,  the  near- 
est water,  Okaoa,  was  three  long  days’  journey  off. 
Could  this  place  be  reached  in  safety  in  our  pres- 
ent weak  state  ? I dared  scarcely  answer  the  ques- 
tion. The  possible  answer  seemed  too  awful  to 
dwell  upon. 

Sleep  was  that  night,  of  course,  out  of  the  ques- 


70 


SEARCH  FOR  WATER. 


tion,  and  before  break  of  day  I was  in  the  saddle 
in  search  of  water,  having  first  dispatched  three 
different  parties  on  the  same  errand  in  as  many  di- 
rections. I returned  to  the  camp  after  eight  hours1 
sharp  riding  and  walking,  my  horse  completely  done 
up — unsuccessful ! My  approach  was  watched  by 
the  men  at  the  wagon  with  feverish  anxiety ; there 
was  no  need  of  words ; my  face  told  but  too  plain- 
ly my  complete  failure.  Kamapjie,  who  had  also 
been  absent  on  a similar  mission,  soon  joined  us, 
equally  successless.  Two  parties  were  still  absent, 
and  on  their  efforts  rested  now  all  our  hopes ; but 
hour  after  hour  elapsed  without  any  news.  The 
sun  set,  yet  no  men.  The  shadows  of  evening  crept 
upon  us,  yet  no  men.  The  moon  rose,  yet  no  men. 
Our  anxiety  was  at  its  height.  Had  the  men  found 
the  water,  or  had  they  lost  themselves  in  this  fear- 
ful and  death-boding  wilderness?  Should  I wait 
for  the  return  of  daylight  before  finally  deciding 
on  what  course  to  pursue,  or  should  I face  back  at 
once  ? These  and  many  other  were  the  distracting 
thoughts  that  crowded  in  rapid  succession  on  my 
giddy  brains.  The  delay  of  a night  would  occasion 
the  loss  of  another  day,  and  then,  just  suppose  the 
absent  parties  unsuccessful  in  finding  water,  what 
would  be  the  result?  Apparently  inevitable  de- 
struction. The  oxen  had  now  been  four  days  with- 
out water,  and  their  distress  was  already  very  great. 
Their  hollow  flanks,  drooping  heads,  and  low,  mel- 
ancholy moans,  uttered  at  intervals,  told  but  too 


DISTRESS. 


71 


plainly  their  misery,  and  went  to  my  heart  like 
daggers.  My  poor  horse  was  no  longer  an  ani- 
mated creature,  but  a spectre  of  himself — a gaunt, 
staggering  skeleton.  The  change  that  had  come 
upon  him  during  the  last  twenty-four  hours  was 
incredible.  From  time  to  time  he  would  put  his 
head  into  the  wagon,  into  any  one’s  hands,  and, 
looking  wistfully  and  languidly  into  his  face,  would 
reproachfully  (bis  looks  conveyed  as  much)  seem 
to  say,  “ Cruel  man,  don’t  you  see  I am  dying ; why 
don’t  you  relieve  my  burning  thirst?”  The  dogs, 
again,  ceased  to  recognize  my  caresses.  Their  eyes 
were  so  deeply  sunken  in  their  sockets  as  to  be 
scarcely  perceptible.  They  glided  about  in  spec- 
tral silence ; death  was  in  their  faces.  The  wagon 
was  heavily  laden,  the  soil  exceedingly  heavy,  the 
sun  in  the  daytime  like  an  immense  burning-glass, 
and  the  oppressiveness  of  the  atmosphere  was  great- 
ly increased  by  the  tremendous  u veldt”  fires,  which, 
ravaging  the  country  far  and  wide,  made  it  like  a 
huge  fiery  furnace. 

Under  such  circumstances  the  oxen  could  never 
hold  out  for  seven  days — the  time  which  must,  I 
calculated,  elapse  before  I could  reach  Okaoa— 
without  water ! Well,  then,  with  all  these  ominous 
facts  and  forebodings  before  me,  would  it  be  advis- 
able to  await  the  return  of  the  absent  men?  A 
few  moments  of  anxious  self-communion  determ- 
ined me  not  to  do  so,  but  to  retrace  my  steps  with- 
out farther  delay.  This  resolution  was,  of  course, 


72 


RETREAT. 


the  death-blow  to  the  expedition.  Before  starting 
on  our  backward  course  I fired  a number  of  shots, 
which  received  no  answer,  to  attract  the  notice  of 
the  absentees. 

I had  yet  a small  supply  of  water  in  the  wagon, 
having  taken  the  precaution  at  starting  to  take  the 
entire  stock  under  my  immediate  charge.  I now 
served  out  a few  mouthfuls  to  each  individual,  left 
a small  quantity,  together  with  a few  biscuits,  on 
a bush  for  the  absent  men,  should  they  find  their 
way  back,  and  then  began  the  return  journey  at  a 
brisk  pace,  but  with  a heavy  heart. 

Health  and  strength,  time  and  the  season,  had 
been  thus  wasted  and  lost,  heavy  pecuniary  sacri- 
fices made,  the  life  of  men  and  valuable  beasts  jeop- 
ardized, bright  prospects  blighted,  and  all — all  to  so 
little  purpose ! My  feelings  on  this  memorable  oc- 
casion may  be  more  easily  imagined  than  described. 

We  had  proceeded  but  a comparatively  short 
distance,  and  were  just  escaping  out  of  a thorn- 
thicket,  when  we  were  suddenly  startled  by  a grand, 
but  to  us  appalling  sight. 

The  whole  country  before  us  was  one  huge  lake 
of  flames.  Turning  to  Mortar,  I exclaimed,  u Good 
God,  our  return  is  cut  otf!”  I had  seen  many  wood 
and  grass  fires,  but  nothing  to  equal  this.  Imme- 
diately in  front  of  us  lay  stretched  out  like  a sea  a 
vast  pasture  prairie,  dotted  with  occasional  trees, 
bounded  in  the  distance  by  groves  of  huge  giratfe 
thorns,  all  in  a blaze ! Through  the  very  midst  of 


CROSSING  A BURNING  SAVANNA. 


GRAND  CONFLAGRATION. 


75 


this  lay  our  path.  By  delaying  a few  hours  the 
danger  would  have  been  considerably  diminished, 
if  not  altogether  over ; but  delay  in  our  case  seem- 
ed almost  more  dangerous  than  going  forward,  and 
so  on  we  pushed,  trusting  to  some  favorable  acci- 
dent to  bring  us  through  the  perils  we -had  to  face. 
As  we  advanced  we  heard  distinctly  the  sputtering 
and  hissing  of  the  inflamed  grasses  and  brushwood, 
the  cracking  of  the  trees  as  they  reluctantly  yielded 
their  massive  forms  to  the  unrelenting  and  all-de- 
vouring element,  the  screams  of  startled  birds  and 
other  commingling  sounds  of  terror  and  devasta- 
tion. There  was  a great  angle  in  our  road,  run- 
ning parallel, 6as  it  were,  to  the  raging  fire,  but  aft- 
erward turning  abruptly  into  a burning  savanna. 
By  the  time  we  had  reached  this  point,  the  confla- 
gration, still  in  its  glory  on  our  right,  was  fast  re- 
ceding on  our  left,  thus  opening  a passage,  into 
which  we  darted  without  hesitation,  although  the 
ground  was  still  smouldering  and  reeking,  and  in 
some  places  quite  alive  with  flickering  sparks  from 
the  recent  besom  of  hot  flames  that  had  swept  over 
it.  Tired  as  our  cattle  were,  this  heated  state  of 
the  ground  made  the  poor  brutes  step  out  pretty 
smartly.  At  times  we  ran  great  risk  of  being 
crushed  by  the  falling  timbers.  Once  a huge  trunk, 
in  flames  from  top  to  bottom,  fell  athwart  our  path, 
sending  up  millions  of  sparks,  and  scattering  in- 
numerable splinters  of  lighted  wood  all  around  us, 
while  the  numerous  nests  of  the  social  grossbeaks 


76 


LONG  ABSTINENCE  FROM  WATER. 


— the  Textor  erythrorhynchus — in  the  ignited  trees 
looked  like  so  many  lamps  suspended  in  designs  at 
once  natural,  pleasing,  and  splendid.  It  was  alto- 
gether a glorious  illumination,  worthy  of  Nature’s 
palace  with  its  innumerable  windows  and  stately 
vaulted  canopy.  But  the  danger  associated  with 
the  grand  spectacle  was  too  great  and  too  immi- 
nent for  us  thoroughly  to  appreciate  its  magnifi- 
cence. Indeed,  we  were  really  thankful  when  once 
our  backs  were  turned  on  the  awful  scene. 

At  break  of  day  we  halted  for  a few  minutes  to 
breathe  and  to  change  oxen,  then  continued  to  jour- 
ney on.  I dispatched  all  the  loose  cattle  ahead, 
giving  the  men  orders  to  return  with,  a fresh  team 
as  soon  as  they  had  drunk,  fed,  and  rested  a little. 
We  arrived  at  the  vley  a little  before  midnight  on 
the  24th  of  May,  but  on  attempting  to  kraal  the 
trek  oxen,  notwithstanding  their  fatigue,  the  thirsty 
brutes  leaped  over  the  stout  and  tall  thorn  fences  as 
if  they  had  been  so  many  rushes,  and  with  a wild 
roar  set  off  at  full  speed  for  Okaoa  fountain,  which 
they  reached  the  following  day,  having  then  been 
more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  hours  without  a 
single  drop  of  water  ! 

Before  reaching  the  water  the  men  in  charge  of 
the  loose  cattle  had  become  so  exhausted  with  long 
and  incessant  marching,  suffering  all  the  time  from 
burning  thirst,  that  one  by  one  they  had  sunk  down. 
The  cattle,  unherded,  found  their  way  to  the  fount- 
ain without  much  difficulty ; but  the  wretched  horse 


RETURN  OF  SCOUTS. 


77 


missed  his,  and  kept  wandering  about  until  he  drop- 
ped from  sheer  exhaustion.  Some  Ovatjimba  for- 
tunately found  the  brute,  and  reporting  the  discov- 
ery to  their  chief,  he  good-naturedly  brought  the 
dying  beast  some  drink  and  fodder,  by  which  means 
he  gradually  recovered.  The  animal,  when  found, 
had  been  seven  days  without  water . I had  no  idea 
that  a horse  was  capable  of  enduring  fatigue  and 
thirst  to  the  extent  experienced  by  this  hack  of 
mine. 

The  poor  dogs  were  by  this  time  in  a fearful 
state.  What  was  once  a clear  perspicuous  eye 
now  appeared  like  a mere  lustrous  speck  under  a 
shaggy  brow.  Blood  flowed  at  times  from  their 
nostrils ; and  it  was  with  difficulty  they  dragged 
along  their  worn  and  emaciated  carcasses.  Some- 
times they  tried  to  give  vent  to  their  great  suffer- 
ings. in  dismal  howls,  half  stifled  in  the  utterance. 
Some  of  the  men  were  nearly  as  much  affected. 
Poor  Mortar  was  more  than  once  speechless  from 
thirst,  and  it  was  quite  pitiful  to  see  him,  like  a 
man  despairing  of  life,  chew  old  coffee-tobacco  and 
withered  tea-leaves.  For  my  own  part,  I am  thank- 
ful to  say  I suffered  on  this  trying  occasion,  in  a 
bodily  sense  at  least,  less  perhaps  than  the  rest  of 
my  party. 

The  day  after  our  arrival  at  the  vley  the  lost  men 
suddenly  and  unexpectedly  made  their  appearance, 
and,  to  my  great  surprise,  I learned  that  they  had 
accidentally  stumbled  upon  the  very  water  we  had 


78 


HOMEWARD  COURSE. 


so  long  searched  for  in  vain.  In  retracing  their 
steps  to  the  wagon  to  report  the  good  news  they 
had  unfortunately  lost  their  way,  and,  after  a fruit- 
less search,  were  obliged  to  bivouac  on  the  waste. 
Like  myself,  they  had  repeatedly  discharged  guns, 
but  as  this  was  done  long  after  dark,  it  is  probable 
the  wagon  had  by  that  time  taken  its  departure,  so 
that  their  signals  were  unheard  and  unanswered. 

On  the  eighth  day,  late  in  the  evening,  I reached 
Okaoa  in  safety,  without  the  loss  of  a single  man 
or  beast,  all,  however,  being  in  a dreadful  state  * of 
prostration,  not  only  from  fatigue  and  hardship, 
but  from  torn  and  lacerated  feet.  This,  coupled 
with  the  impossibility  of  procuring  trustworthy 
guides,  with  the  evident  dearth  of  water,  the  ab- 
sence of  game,  and  many  other  formidable  hinder- 
ances,  induced  me  to  face  homeward  without  any 
farther  delay  than  was  necessary  to  recruit  in  a 
measure  the  strength  and  vigor  of  bipeds  and  quad- 
rupeds. 

By  a careful  computation,  I found  that  from  this 
place  (Okaoa)  to  Otjimbingue  the  distance  was  115 
hours’  actual  travel,  which  is  equivalent  to  300  En- 
glish miles  in  round  numbers,  while  in  our  last  two 
fruitless  attempts  to  push  northward  we  had  trav- 
eled one  hundred  and  twenty  hours , that  is , about 
three  hundred  and  thirty  English  miles — a distance 
more  than  sufficient  to  have  brought  us  to  the  Cu- 
nene — nay,  there  and  back  again — had  we  been  able 
to  hold  our  course  directly  for  that  river.  I need 


ANOTHER  DISAPPOINTMENT. 


79 


scarcely  say,  therefore,  that  the  decision  I had  come 
to  cost  me  some  pain  and  regret.  However,  as  I 
said  before,  though  at  present  foiled,  I by  no  means 
intended  to  abandon  the  undertaking  as  hopeless, 
for  I consider  him  but  half  a man  who  gives  up 
every  thing  for  lost  because  a spoke  has  chanced  to 
start  in  his  fortune’s  wheel. 

On  the  29th  of  May  we  bid  adieu  to  Okaoa.  As 
we  traveled  by  exactly  the  same  line  of  route  as 
that  with  which  the  reader  is  already  acquainted, 
it  would  be  tedious  to  go  over  the  ground  afresh. 
I will  merely,  then,  allude  to  a few  of  the  most  im- 
portant events  of  this  retrograde  march. 

On  the  10th  of  June  we  were  once  more  at  Ond- 
j non  a— a favorite  resort  of  elephants,  and  having 
scarcely  had  any  opportunity  of  enjoying  my  gun, 
I looked  forward  with  eagerness  to  a week  or  two 
of  exciting  sport ; but  I was  doomed,  it  seemed,  to 
nothing  but  disappointments.  The  elephants  had, 
we  found,  not  only  abandoned  Ondjuona,  but  every 
other  resort  within  a hundred  miles  of  that  place. 
Some  natives,  whom  we  met  and  fraternized  with, 
suggested  that  the  herds  had  probably  migrated  to 
the  Oman  ini  River  and  the  Omuramba  Ua’  Matako 
— a pilgrimage  they  were,  we  were  told,  accustomed 
to  perform  annually  at  a certain  season.  At  a later 
period  I had  personal  experience  of  the  truth  of 
this  statement. 

The  Damaras  in  these  parts,  since  they  have  be- 
come impoverished,  occasionally  attack  and  kill  ele- 


80 


DAMARA  ELEPHANT-HUNTING. 


phants.  When  a hunt  is  decided  on  they  muster 
in  force,  usually,  I believe,  dividing  themselves  into 
two  parties.  The  object  of  this  division  is  that, 
while  one  party  approach  the  elephant  and  dis- 
charge their  missiles  on  him,  the  other  endeavor  to 
divert  the  attention  of  the  enraged  beast  by  shout- 
ing and  beating  on  sticks.  Old  male  elephants, 
being  less  active  and  dangerous  than  young'  ones 
and  cows,  are,  in  these  hunts,  the  particular  marks 
of  the  sportsmen.  The  chase,  full  of  excitement 
and  peril,  very  frequently  results  in  the  destruction 
of  one  or  more  of  the  hunters.  The  ivory  obtained 
is  in  the  course  of  time  brought  to  the  Ovagandjera, 
from  whom  its  vendors  receive  in  exchange  asse- 
gais, hatchets,  daggers,  iron  and  copper,  beads,  etc. 
Ultimately,  however,  it  finds  its  way  to  the  Portu- 
guese market  on  the  west  coast. 

Though  disappointed  with  respect  to  sport,  I de- 
termined, as  the  cattle  stood  much  in  need  of  rest, 
and  Ondjuona  abounds  with  good  water  and  grass, 
to  make  a halt  here  for  a couple  of  weeks. 

By  the  failure  of  the  expedition,  or  rather  by  go- 
ing over  its  ground  a second  time,  I had  gained  one 
point,  viz.,  I had  been  enabled  to  complete  my  map 
very  satisfactorily.  With  the  best  will  and  the 
most  strenuous  exertions,  it  is  utterly  impossible 
to  acquire  a thorough  knowledge  of  the  physical 
features  of  a country  on  a first  and  hurried  visit  to 
it.  I had  hitherto  spared  no  trouble  or  pains,  as- 
cending conspicuous  hills  and  other  landmarks, 


OKONYENYA  MOUNTAIN. 


81 


often  very  many  miles  out  of  my  way,  in  order  to 
obtain  valuable  and  useful  bearings,  and,  though  I 
had  succeeded,  there  still  remained  much  to  be  done 
besides  improving  a prismatic  compass  triangula- 
tion begun  in  the  25°  N.  and  extended  to  near  the 
19°  of  S.  lat.  Therefore  Okonyenya,  the  beautiful 
granite  cone  already  alluded  to  in  these  pages,  be- 
ing now  not  very  distant,  I determined  to  visit  it. 
From  its  central,  isolated,  and  prominent  position, 
I judged  a good  view  might  be  obtained  from  its 
summit  over  a great  portion  of  western  Damara 
Land,  and  that,  consequently,  an  excursion  to  the 
site  would  well  repay  the  trouble.  Thought  ma- 
tured to  action.  Accordingly,  having  hastily  made 
a few  arrangements,  and  provided  myself  with  the 
necessary  instruments,  I set  out  on  this  exploration. 
The  guide  managed,  however,  to  miss  the  way,  and 
we  did  not  reach  the  base  of  the  mountain  until  the 
morning  of  the  third  day  from  our  departure  from 
Ondjuona. 

After  partaking  of  some  refreshment,  and  pro- 
viding ourselves,  in  case  of  being  obliged  to  spend 
the  night  on  the  mountain’s  top,  with  a few  neces- 
saries and  comforts,  we  began  the  ascent,  which, 
from  the  steepness  of  the  rock,  proved  a very  la- 
borious and  fatiguing  one.  My  native  attendants, 
unused  to  climbing  hills,  were  completely  done  up 
long  before  we  had  gained  its  crowning  height. 
Indeed,  mountain  climbing  in  this  scorching  cli- 
mate, even  to  the  most  practiced  and  elastic  foot, 

F 


82 


A THUNDER-STORM  UNDER  FOOT. 


is  an  arduous  enterprise.  As  I had  anticipated, 
the  prospect  from  the  summit  was  extensive  and 
magnificent,  though  somewhat  circumscribed  by  the 
haziness  of  the  atmosphere.  Hoping  for  a clearer 
sky  the  next  day,  I resolved  to  bivouac  on  the  spot. 
In  the  mean  time  I employed  myself  in  obtaining 
what  observations  and  bearings  I could,  and  in 
sketching  a picture  of  the  scene  before  me,  to  which 
I find  I have  thus  alluded  in  my  diary : 

aThe  country  all  around  and  beneath  me  has 
a singularly  odd  appearance.  The  ground,  being 
much  cut  up  and  intersected  by  innumerable  little 
periodical  water-courses,  looks  a good  way  off,  and 
from  a height,  very  like  a large  town — the  principal 
water-courses  representing  the  chief  thoroughfares, 
and  the  smaller  ones,  usually  joining  them  at  right 
angles,  the  lesser  streets  ; while  the  trees,  some  tow- 
ering apart,  and  some  in  lower  clusters,  with  the 
bushes,  make  out  a very  fair  pageant  of  churches, 
buildings,  and  houses. 

“As  the  shadows  of  night  stole  upon  us  a furious 
wind  arose,  which  continued  to  blow  with  unabated 
violence  until  the  next  day.  It  was  with  difficulty 
we  could  keep  our  footing ; and  fuel  being  scarce, 
we  spent  a rather  comfortless  night.  A grand  nat- 
ural spectacle,  a thunder-storm,  brought  us  some 
relief  in  this  unpleasant  situation.  This  war  of 
the  elements  was  not  overhead,  but  under  our  feet. 
It  resembled  greatly  the  subterraneous  rumbling 


LIONS  IN  VIEW.  83 

which  often  precedes  an  earthquake,  for  which,  in- 
deed, I mistook  the  first  clap. 

“The  return  of  daylight  brought  no  improve- 
ment to  the  atmosphere,  but  the  view  was  less  ob- 
scured in  a particular  direction,  and,  on  the  whole, 
I obtained  a valuable  and  useful  set  of  bearings. 
Having  done  all  that  could  be  done,  I began  the 
descent,  and  before  noon  had  rejoined  my  camp  at 
the  base  of  the  mountain.  Three  huge  lions  had 
passed  within  gunshot  of  the  carriage  oxen  during 
the  night,  but  without  any  attempt  at  molestation. 
The  next  morning  at  at  early  hour  we  retraced  our 
steps  to  the  wagon,  which  we  reached  at  dusk. 

“We  had  been  twelve  hours  on  the  move,  com- 
passing a distance,  by  road,  of  rather  more  than 
thirty  miles — a sharp  day’s  march,  in  the  course  of 
which  I killed  a couple  of  gemsboks,  and  saw,  for 
the  first  time,  a fair  sprinkling  of  game,  such  as 
giraffes,  gemsboks,  zebras,  springboks,  etc.” 


84 


SINGULAR  MIRAGE. 


CHAPTEE  V. 

A singular  Mirage. — Arrival  on  the  Omaruru. — I resolve  on 
crossing  over  to  the  Omuramba,  via  Matako,  while  the  Wag- 
on is  undergoing  a complete  Reparation. — Two  Lions  attack 
the  Dogs. — Wild  Beasts  abundant. — Lion  Man-eaters. — 
Their  stealthy  Mode  of  Attack. — A horrid  Dream. — The 
physical  Features  of  Damara  Land. — Granite,  Limestone, 
and  Sandstone. — Carboniferous  Formations. — Scented  and 
aromatic  Plants  and  Trees. — Scenery. — Mines. 

On  the  25th  of  June  we  again  moved  forward, 
or,  rather,  it  would  be  more  proper  to  say,  back- 
ward. Early  one  morning,  a day  or  two  after- 
ward, we  were  regaled  with  the  sight  of  a pretty 
and  very  singular  mirage,  remarkable  on  account 
of  its  rich,  warm,  transparent  pink  color,  produced, 
as  I found  immediately  afterward,  by  the  reflection 
of  a huge  mass  of  red  granite  which  happened  to 
intercept  the  sun’s  rays. 

The  1st  of  July  found  us  safe  on  the  banks  of 
the  Omaruru  Eiver.  The  wagon  had  by  this  time 
become  all  but  a wreck.  Every  bolt  was  broken 
or  damaged,  and  scarcely  a single  piece  of  wood 
sound.  It  required  all  my  care  and  ingenuity  to 
make  it  keep  together. 

I had  already  formed  my  plans  for  the  future. 
Mortar  and  Pereira,  with  a complement  of  natives, 


ARRIVAL  ON  THE  OMARURU. 


85 


were  directed  to  bring  the  wagon  to  Otjimbingue, 
in  order  to  get  it  repaired,  if  possible,  and  to  obtain 
a few  necessaries  ; while  I myself,  attended  by  some 
of  my  Damaras,  proceeded  up  the  Omaruru  toward 
its  source,  whence  it  was  my  intention  to  cross  over 
to  the  Omuramba  Ua1  Matako,  where  my  men  had 
instructions  to  rejoin  me  with  the  wagon.  It  was 
via  Omuramba  Ua1  Matako  that  I hoped  finally  to 
penetrate  to  the  Cunene. 

My  object  in  remaining  “in  the  field”  was  two- 
fold— exploring  and  hunting.  A small  strip  of 
country  still  remained  unmapped,  and  I felt  confi- 
dent that  I should  meet  with  elephants  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  Omatako  Mountains.  The  natives, 
however,  tried  to  deter  me  from  going,  representing 
the  country  in  that  direction  as  impassable  by  rea- 
son of  a severe  drought.  Scarcely  a drop  of  rain, 
they  said,  had  fallen  there  during  the  last  twelve 
months ; but  I refused  to  credit  their  statement. 

After  a few  days  devoted  to  rest  and  recreation 
the  wagon  started  for  Otjimbingue.  I accompanied 
it  as  far  as  Omapjie,  where  I bade  the  men  fare- 
well. On  regaining  my  now  much-diminished  par- 
ty on  the  Omaruru  River  a striking  incident  oc- 
curred, which,  under  date  of  the  8th  of  J uly,  I find 
thus  noted  in  my  journal: 

“About  eight  o’clock  last  night,  while  c observ- 
ing,1 I heard  the  growl  of  two  lions  at  a short  dis- 
tance down  the  river:  the  brutes  approached  rap- 
idly. The  dogs  did  not  appear  to  like  the  sound, 


86 


LIONS  ATTACK  THE  DOGS. 


but  still  went  off  barking  toward  the  river.  While 
waiting  for  the  meridian  height  of  a star  I walked 
back  to  the  tent ; on  seeing  me,  Kamapjie  remark- 
ed, 4 1 don’t  know  what  is  the  matter  with  4 4 Gipsy.” 
She  started  along  with  the  other  dogs,  but  soon 
came  back,  and,  staggering,  fell  into  the  fire.’  I 
found  the  poor  beast  violently  convulsed,  froth  flow- 
ing freely  from  her  mouth.  I ran  a lancet  into 
one  of  her  ears,  drawing  off  some  blood,  which 
seemed  slightly  to  relieve  her.  Scarcely  had  I done 
so,  and  returned  to  my  instrument,  when  there  was 
a sudden  backward  rush  by  the  dogs,  accompanied 
by  cries  from  the  men,  4 The  lions ! the  lions ! ’ 
Gathering  up  my  sextant,  horizon,  etc.,  I retreated 
precipitately  to  the  fire,  where  I found  all  the  dogs, 
except  one  called  ‘Chips,’  crouched  in  fear,  and 
trembling.  ‘Where  is  “Chips?”’  I exclaimed. 
‘Killed  by  the  lions,’  was  the  immediate  reply. 
* Did  you  hear  him  cry  out  ?’  4 Yes,  yes,  ’ answered 

Kamapjie,  4 1 heard  him  utter  a faint  howl  or  two.’ 
Seizing  a firebrand,  the  bull’s-eye  lantern,  and  my 
gun,  I thereupon  proceeded  in  the  direction  whence 
the  dogs  were  seen  to  retreat  so  hurriedly,  and  with- 
in a dozen  paces  of  one  of  the  men’s  fires  there 
were,  sure  enough,  the  marks  of  a gigantic  lion’s 
paw.  A little  farther  on  we  discovered  the  spot 
where  poor  4 Chips’  had  evidently  been  seized,  but 
could  see  nothing  of  his  destroyer.  I set  fire  to  the 
grass,  but  it  did  not  burn  well,  and  after  a farther 
unsuccessful  search  we  retreated  back  to  the  bi- 


LIONS  CURSED  BY  THE  DAMARAS. 


87 


vouac.  I took  it  for  granted  that  the  lions  had  car- 
ried away  the  dog  to  be  devoured  at  their  leisure ; 
but  in  this  I was  mistaken,  for  this  morning  he  was 
discovered  dead  near  the  spot  where  he  had  been 
seized,  and — if  I except  some  gashes  about  his  head, 
neck,  and  shoulder,  as  also  the  disappearance  of  his 
left  ear — almost  untouched. 

“We  had  scarcely  regained  and  stirred  up  our 
bivouac  fires  before  the  lions  once  more  began  to 
roar  and  growl  most  furiously,  within  less,  I should 
say,  than  two  hundred  yards  from  our  camp,  but 
from  opposite  quarters.  Snatching  up  my  double- 
barreled  smooth-bore,  I leveled  in  the  direction  of 
one  of  the  brutes,  and,  estimating  the  elevation  as 
well  as  I could,  fired.  The  bullet  must  have  passed 
pretty  close  to  the  animal,  for  it  instantly  silenced 
him,  and,  moreover,  compelled  him  to  beat  a pre- 
cipitate retreat.  On  the  other  lion,  still  exerting 
his  musical  powers,  another  hissing  bullet  had  a 
similar  effect.  However,  we  did  not  go  to  sleep, 
but  kept  watch  during  the  remainder  of  the  night ; 
the  Damaras  all  the  while  making  a most  hideous 
noise,  cursing  and  vilifying  the  lions  most  lustily 
— a custom  of  which  I was  not  before  aware ; it 
is  one  also  prevalent  among  the  North  African 
Arabs. 11 

While  this  was  going  on  poor  u Gipsy11  expired. 
She  died  very  quietly,  evidently  in  her  senses — if 
I may  use  the  expression — for  to  the  last  she  ac- 
knowledged my  attentions.  I never  could  make 


88 


MAN-EATERS. 


out  what  caused  her  sudden  death.  She  was  a 
.great  favorite  with  us  all,  and  so  likewise  was 
“Chips” — a very  brave  dog.  Both  were  buried 
in  one  grave.  Their  loss  at  that  time  was  a very 
serious  one  to  me,  for  I had  now  only  two  dogs 
left,  who  had  become  so  scared  and  cowed  by  the 
late  event  as  to  be  utterly  useless — indeed,  they  re- 
fused to  stir  from  our  heels. 

Wild  beasts  of  every  description  abounded  in 
these  parts,  and  we  found  them  daring  to  temerity. 
The  Omurainba  was,  besides,  haunted  by  lion  man- 
eaters.  In  the  previous  year  these  monsters  had 
succeeded  in  carrying  off  two  men  from  Mr.  Green's 
camp,  when  on  his  return  from  the  disastrous  Ovam- 
bo  expedition,  already  alluded  to  in  these  pages. 
The  particulars  of  this  horrid  story  will  be  related 
in  the  sequel  of  this  narrative. 

I have  no  particular  dread  of  lions,  nor  am  I, 
generally  speaking,  a particularly  nervous  man ; 
but  I do  fear  and  dread  such  a monster  as  a man- 
eater.  Set  me  face  to  face  with  an  enemy,  be  he 
white  or  black,  beast  or  man,  in  the  broad  light  of 
day,  and  I will  take  some  odds  against,  him ; but 
a skulking,  sneaking,  poaching  night-prowler,  whose 
cat-like  motions  and  approach  no  ear  can  detect — 
whose  muscular  strength  exceeds  that  of  the  strong- 
est ruminating  animal — who  will  pass  through  your 
cattle  and  leave  them  untouched  in  order  to  feast 
on  human  flesh — is,  I think,  a creature  which  may 
reasonably  inspire  terror.  There  is  something  hid- 


A HORRID  DREAM. 


89 


eous  in  the  thought  of  lying  down  nightly  in  ex- 
pectation of  such  a visitor.  I remember  having 
been  once  very  much  frightened,  partly  by  my  own 
imagination  and  partly  by  a reality.  This  occurred 
shortly  after  the  receipt  of  a letter  from  Mr.  Green 
relating  the  unfortunate  result  of  his  Ovambo  ex- 
pedition, and  the  attack  of  lion  man-eaters  on  his 
party.  I was  then  returning  from  a journey  to 
Walwich  Bay,  accompanied  by  a native  youth,  and 
was  traveling  late  at  night  in  order  to  reach  my 
destination  on  the  following  day.  I had  been  six- 
teen hours  in  the  saddle,  felt  rather  tired,  and,  find- 
ing my  steeds  in  the  same  humor  as  myself,  I dis- 
mounted. Having  tied  the  beasts  to  a small  tree 
and  gathered  some  grass  for  them,  I threw  myself 
at  length  on  the  ground,  making  neither  fire  nor 
bed.  I was  soon  dozing  away,  my  mind  busy  among 
old  familiar  hunting  scenes,  when  suddenly  I fan- 
cied I saw  a grim  old  lion,  his  mane  tattered,  and 
clogged  with  human  blood  and  gore,  stand  before 
me.  I tried  to  close  my  eyes  against  the  horrid 
vision,  but  in  vain ; there  seemed  a secret  power 
of  fascination  in  the  brute’s  dreadful  stare.  My 
looks  were  no  sooner  averted  than  my  eyes  opened 
wide  to  stare  again  at  the  monster.  His  eyes  glis- 
tened, his  mouth  watered,  while  his  every  motion 
seemed  to  say,  uAy,  I am  a veritable  man-eater; 
I love  the  flesh  of  your  species  above  that  of  all 
other  animals.”  My  anguish  became  at  last  in- 
tense. My  heart  seemed  to  grow  so  big  with  ter- 


90  WESTERN  DAMARA  LAND. 

ror  that  I thought  it  -would  burst.  After  several 
fruitless  efforts,  I finally  tore  myself  out  of  this 
frightful  trance,  and,  springing  to  my  feet,  looked 
around  in  amazed  bewilderment.  “ Where  was  I ? 
Had  I been  dreaming,  or  was  it  a reality  ?”  At 
that  moment  a sound  struck  my  ear  which  at  once 
restored  me  to  the  full  possession  of  my  faculties. 
“Surely  that  growl  was  a lion’s,”  I muttered  to 
myself ; and  my  suspicion  was  instantly  corrobo- 
rated by  a fresh  roar,  leaving  no  doubt  as  to  whence 
it  came.  I tried  then  to  distinguish  the  form  of 
the  brute,  and  did  so,  I believe.  I felt  agitated, 
and  waking  the  boy,  and  hurriedly  placing  the  sad- 
dles on  the  backs  of  the  horses,  rode  off.  But, 
though  thus  in  some  degree  relieved,  I did  not  feel 
quite  at  ease  until  the  day  broke,  when  my  nerv- 
ousness was  at  once  gone. 

Before  I dismiss  altogether  the  subject  of  my 
doings  in  Western  Damara  Land,  it  may  perhaps 
not  be  out  of  place  to  say  a few  words  of  its  phys- 
ical features,  as  this  whole  region  is  a terra  incog- 
nita to  Englishmen. 

Kaoko  Proper,  i.  e.,  Western  Damara  Land,  dif- 
fers from  the  rest  of  this  country-  (excepting,  per- 
haps, the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  sea)  only  by  the 
absence  of  extensive  plains ; in  other  respects  all 
parts  of  Western  Africa  resemble  each  other  close- 
ly. This  particular  district  forms  a high  plateau, 
rising  from  2000  to  4000  feet  above  the  low  lands. 
It  possesses  comparatively  few  natural  springs; 


THE  CHARACTER  OF  ITS  SOIL.  91 

yet  water  is  not  scarce,  for  the  ground  is  deepljr 
scored  and  indented  all  over  by  numerous  periodical 
water-courses,  which  intersect  the  whole  region  from 
east  to  west.  In  some  parts  it  is  densely  wooded, 
or  rather  bushed ; in  others  rugged.  The  pastur- 
ages are,  nevertheless,  excellent — in  short,  the  Kao- 
ko  is  well  adapted  for  the  occupation  of  a pastoral 
people. 

Granite,  limestone,  and  sandstone  are  the  char- 
acteristics of  the  soil  of  this  entire  tract,  that  is, 
of  all  Western  Damara  Land.  The  first  of  these 
formations  runs  parallel  with  the  coast,  or  about 
north  and  south,  shooting  out  occasionally  to  some 
distance  inland.  Excepting  in  the  immediate  neigh- 
borhood of  the  sea-coast  (where  it  is  found  in  one  con- 
tinuous range  for  nearly  400  geographical  miles),  it 
rises  in  isolated  and  detached  masses,  varying  in 
height  from  1000  to  3000  feet  and  upward,  some- 
times in  the  form  of  huge  boulder  heads,  but  more 
frequently  in  peaks.  Granite,  indeed,  constitutes  the 
chief  and  most  interesting  features  in  the  mountain 
scenery  of  this  country.  Some  of  the  finest  speci- 
mens of  this  rock  are  to  be  seen  in  the  beautiful 
cones  of  Okonyenya,  Omatako,  and  in  the  grand 
boulders  and  bluffs  of  Erongo,  Dounsia,  Otjonko- 
ama,  etc. 

The  limestone  and  sandstone  formations  run,  on 
the  contrary,  eastward,  flanking  the  granite,  but 
generally  with  an  east  and  west  bearing;  in  fact, 
abutting  nearly  at  right  angles  on  the  igneous  rock. 


92 


PICTURESQUE  MOUNTAINS. 


The  limestone  predominates  toward  the  north  of 
the  Omaruru  River,  while  the  sandstone  flanks  it 
(the  limestone)  on  the  east,  running  nearly  parallel 
with  the  Omuramba  TJa’  Matako. 

The  three  different  kinds  of  limestone,  so  charac- 
teristic of  England,  viz.,  the  chalk,  the  carbonifer- 
ous, and  the  oolite,  are  all  to  be  found  here  consid- 
erably developed,  and  may  be  duly  recognized  by 
their  distinguishing  peculiarities.  The  carbonifer- 
ous formations,  escarped  ridges  and  ranges  on  par- 
allel lines  to  each  other,  are  bold,  stern,  and  rugged 
in  aspect,  clothed  with  a scanty  and  dwarfish  vege- 
tation, and,  on  the  whole,  forbidding  and  repulsive 
in  appearance.  They  improve,  however,  as  one  pro- 
ceeds northward  and  eastward.  In  the  former  di- 
rection these  formations  assume  a softer  outline, 
and  are  covered  with  a rank  vegetation,  consisting 
chiefly  of  scented  and  aromatic  plants,  shrubs,  and 
trees.  The  eastern  ranges,  which  often  rise  into 
lofty  mountains,  are  also  adorned  with  a luxuriant 
vegetation,  and  are  very  picturesque.  Those  seen 
from  Omanbonde,  for  instance,  the  nearest  point 
being  about  twenty  English  miles,  are  especially 
striking  and  grand.  They  can  only,  however,  be 
seen  to  advantage  during  the  rainy  season,  when  the 
breadth  of  light  and  shadow,  ever  varying  with  the 
now  brilliantly  illuminated,  the  now  fantastically 
and  gorgeously  clouded  sky,  gives  them  a thousand 
varied  and  beautiful  aspects. 

The  sandstone,  again,  consists  chiefly  of  table- 


MINES. 


93 


shaped  hills  with  vertical  sides,  usually  very  gro- 
tesque and  imposing.  The  finest  specimens  of  the 
formation  are  to  be  met  with  in  the  elevated  tables 
of  Etjo,  Konyali,  Ombororoeko,  and  Omuveroo. 
These  rival  the  granite  in  point  of  picturesqueness. 
On  the  shores  of  Oinanbonde,  the  limestone  and 
the  sandstone  form  a junction,  as  it  were,  but  the 
latter  rock  is  from  that  point  lost  to  view,  the  lime- 
stone overlapping  it  continuously  eastward  round 
by  the  south ; yet  this  range  rarely  rises  conspicu- 
ously above  the  level  of  the  surrounding  country. 

The  granite  and  sandstone  are  strongly  impreg- 
nated with  oxide  of  iron  (in  some  instances,  too, 
the  limestone),  which  gives  a reddish  tint  to  most  of 
the  formations.  I never,  however,  observed  any  in- 
dications of  regular  mineral  deposits  in  the  Kaoko, 
or,  indeed,  in  the  whole  of  Western  Damara  Land, 
excepting  always  portions  of  the  Otjirokaku  and 
the  Otjomokojo  mountain  systems ; but  to  the  south 
of  the  Omaruru  River  both  iron  and  copper  ore 
exist  in  considerable  quantities.  Several  mines  of 
the  latter  mineral  have  been  opened  and  worked, 
but  have  been  all  lately  abandoned.  The  ore  has 
been  generally  very  rich,  but  the  carriage,  both  by 
land  and  water,  is  so  expensive,  that  as  yet  every 
mining  speculation  in  this  country  has  turned  out 
a failure.  Specks  of  gold  have  occasionally  been 
found  in  this  ore.  As  to  iron,  it  is,  as  I have  said, 
very  plentiful.  It  occurs  either  as  iron-stone,  or 
pure  in  a crystallized  state.  The  rocks  about  the 


94 


COPPER  ORE. 


lower  course  of  the  Swakop  abound  in  both  forms, 
which  are  generally  found  imbedded  in  granite  and 
quartz.  But  the  copper  ore  thrives  best  in  mica- 
schist  and  sandstone.  It  is,  nevertheless,  largely 
disseminated  through  quartz,  though  that  forma- 
tion is  evidently  not  congenial  to  its  growth,  as  no 
body  of  ore  has  ever  been  found  in  this  species  of 
rock. 


MY  TRAVELING  STUD. 


95 


CHAPTER  VI. 

My  traveling  Stud. — Game  plentiful. — Giraffes,  Zebras,  Gnus, 
and  Koodoos. — Two  Giraffes  killed. — Lions,  Hyenas,  Jack- 
als, and  other  Beasts  of  Prey. — Great  Numbers  of  Natives. 
— Honey  in  great  Quantities. — Visitors  from  the  civilized 
World. — A Night  Watch  for  Game. — Elephants  descried. 
— An  Elephant  Hunt. — Two  Elephants  killed.— The  Re- 
joicings of  the  Damaras  on  the  Prospect  of  a Gorge. — A 
Breakfast  on  an  Elephant  Foot  and  a Dish  of  Honey. 

On  the  third  day  after  the  departure  of  the  wag- 
on I set  out  for  the  Omuramba  Ua1  Matako.  My 
“ traveling  stud11  consisted  of  eight  or  nine  carriage 
and  draught  oxen,  four  donkeys,  the  old  horse,  and 
a few  sheep  and  goats  for  slaughter  and  milk.  My 
“personal,11  again,  was  composed  of  Kamapjie,  one 
youth,  and  three  Damaras.  I besides  expected 
shortly  to  be  joined  by  the  Bechuana  lad  Tom, 
whom  I had  sent  to  Otjimbingue  to  bring  on  any 
letters  or  papers  that  might  chance  to  be  waiting 
for  me  at  that  place. 

The  Persian  monarch  who  so  ungallantly  said 
that  women  were  at  the  bottom  of  all  mischief,  was, 
I take  it,  not  very  far  wrong.  Through  the  wiles 
of  a woman  I temporarily  lost  the  services  of 
Kamapjie,  the  most  useful  of  my  native  attendants. 
He  had  married  a young  girl  before  he  left  Otjim- 


96 


GAME  MORE  PLENTIFUL. 


bingue,  and,  on  the  wagon  starting  for  that  place, 
asked  whether  his  wife  should  accompany  Mortar 
or  remain  with  us.  I told  him  to  please  himself 
The  woman  remained  ; but  just  as  we  were  setting 
out  she  slipped  away  secretly.  Kamapjie  request- 
ed  permission  to  pursue  the  fugitive ; on  being  re- 
fused, he  took  himself  off  too.  This  loss,  just  then, 
was  most  severely  felt,  as  my  party  was  already 
very  small — in  short,  insufficient  to  meet  the  re- 
quirements of  the  expedition.  Moreover,  this  de- 
sertion had  a very  injurious  effect  on  my  other 
servants,  who  supposed,  and  with  much  apparent 
reason,  that  Kamapjie  and  his  amiable  spouse  had 
absented  themselves  from  fear  of  the  dangers  to  be 
encountered  in  my  service.  I kept  my  eyes  on 
their  movements,  and  succeeded  in  preventing  any 
farther  elopements. 

Game  now  became  more  plentiful.  At  the  fount- 
ain Ombolo  (situated  on  the  Omaruru  River), 
which  I reached  on  the  third  day,  I found  the  coun- 
try pretty  well  stocked  with  giraffes,  zebras,  gnus, 
koodoos,  etc.,  and  had  some  very  decent  shooting. 
One  morning  I bagged  a fine  stag  koodoo  and  two 
giraffes.  The  circumstances  attending  the  death 
of  the  latter  are  worth  recording. 

I was  proceeding  leisurely  along,  and  had  nearly 
reached  the  summit  of  a rising  ground,  when  sud- 
denly a noble  giraffe  stood  before  me.  Snatching 
the  gun  from  my  native  attendant,  I ran  forward  a 
few  paces,  leveled,  and  fired.  The  bullet  told  loud- 


TWO  GIRAFFES  KILLED. 


99 


1 y on  the  shoulder  of  the  animal,  and,  staggering 
(or  apparently  so)  over  the  brow  of  the  hill,  it  was 
lost  to  view.  I took  it  for  granted  that  he  was 
killed,  or,  at  all  events,  mortally  wounded ; but,  be- 
fore I proceeded  to  ascertain  whether  this  was  the 
case  or  not,  I reloaded  my  empty  barrel.  Reach- 
ing the  spot  where  I had  first  espied  the  brute,  I 
observed  him  a short  way  off,  not  only  alive,  but 
fleeing  away  at  full  speed — at  least  so  I thought 
at  the  time.  I at  once  fired  again  right  and  left, 
but,  to  my  extreme  annoyance,  missed  with  both 
barrels.  A few  minutes  afterward  I once  more 
came  up  with  him,  and  this  time  my  aim  proved 
more  correct,  for  with  a single  bullet  I laid  him 
prostrate,  and  with  another  behind  the  ear  caused 
his  instant  death. 

I tried  now  to  ascertain  where  my  first  bullet 
had  taken  effect,  but  nowhere  could  I discover  any 
marks  except  the  last  two  wounds  just  mentioned. 
I felt  sure,  nevertheless,  that  it  had  sped  true.  Sud- 
denly a thought  struck  me,  and  I exclaimed  almost 
involuntarily,  “ By  heavens!  there  must  be  another 
giraffe ; yes,  surely  there  must.  Besides,  this  is  a 
smaller  animal  than  the  one  I first  fired  at.'”  And, 
turning  to  my  henchman,  I asked,  “Was  there  not 
a larger  giraffe  V “ Yes,  yes,  ” he  promptly  replied ; 
“the  one  you  fired  at  when  you  first  took  the  gun 
from  me  was  much  larger.”  And,  sure  enough,  so 
it  proved ; for,  quickly  retracing  our  steps,  we  dis- 
covered a beautiful  cow  giraffe  dead  within  less 


100 


ABUNDANCE  OF  HONEY. 


than  twenty  paces  from  the  spot  where  she  had  re- 
ceived the  fatal  wound.  I made  a similar  mistake 
at  a subsequent  period  while  hunting  elephants, 
with  this  difference,  that  I was  not  at  all  aware  of 
having  killed  my  quarry  until  two  days  afterward ; 
in  short,  I had  brought  down  two  very  large  ele- 
phants in  two  successive  shots,  thinking  all  the 
time  that  I was  firing  at  one  and  the  same  animal. 

Game  being  thus  abundant,  lions,  hyenas,  jackals, 
and  other  beasts  of  prey  did  not  fail  to  attend  upon 
their  victims.  Indeed,  they  kept  up  a terrible  hub- 
bub of  dissonant  noises  during  the  night,  causing 
us  much  annoyance  and  disturbance.  One  even- 
ing, before  night  had  yet  set  in,  two  lions  made 
their  appearance,  and  destroyed  within  sight  of  our 
camp  a sheep  that  had  accidentally  been  left  out- 
side the  kraal. 

A few  elephants  had  visited  the  Ombolo  fount- 
ain about  four  or  five  days  previous  to  our  arrival, 
but  had  not  since  been  heard  of.  I concluded, 
therefore,  that  they  had  treked  on  to  Omuramba 
Ua1  Matako. 

If  we  had  hitherto  met  but  few  natives,  we  now 
saw  more  of  them  than  was  desirable.  Indeed,  the 
Omaruru  River,  as  in  their  better  days,  was  evi- 
dently one  of  the  favorite  resorts  of  the  Damaras. 
From  time  to  time  they  brought  us  large  supplies 
of  honey,  for  which  I readily  gave  them  a few  beads, 
tobacco,  fat,  etc.  Honey  was  unusually  abundant 
this  season ; any  quantity  of  it  might  have  been 


THE  VALUE  OF  A LETTER. 


101 


obtained  from  the  Damaras  on  very  advantageous 
terms.  A trader  might  do  a good  business  in  this 
article  and  the  wax,  which  must,  of  course,  be  sold 
with  it. 

I had  appointed  Ombolo  as  the  rendezvous  where 
my  messengers  to  Otjimbingue  were  directed  to 
join  me.  Accordingly,  after  somewhat  more  than 
a week’s  absence,  they  returned,  accompanied  by  a 
few  friends,  who  had  kindly  come  to  pay  a visit  to 
the  lonely  traveler.  This  unexpected  and  agreea- 
ble surprise,  with  a goodly  supply  of  newspapers, 
letters,  etc.,  enabled  me  to  form  a pretty  good  no- 
tion of  what  was  going  on  both  at  home  and  abroad, 
as  also  to  inform  other  friends,  in  turn,  how  I was 
progressing.  I verily  believe  the  value  of  a letter 
is  never  fully  appreciated  until  one  becomes,  as  in 
my  case,  shut  out  for  long  periods  from  all  com- 
munication with  the  civilized  world. 

On  the  20th  of  July  I reached  a place  called 
Hokahanja,  situated  on  the  Omuramba  Ua1  Matako, 
and  commanding  a full  view  of  the  noble  mount- 
ains of  the  same  name.  I had  by  this  time,  in 
some  degree,  accomplished  one  of  the  objects  of 
this  excursion,  viz.,  I had  surveyed  and  mapped  a 
region  hitherto  unfrequented  by  the  white  man,  and 
but  rudely  represented  on  the  charts. 

Geographical  research  was  indeed  the  prime  pur- 
pose of  the  present  expedition  ; hunting  and  sport- 
ing but  secondary  considerations.  But,  now  that 
subjects  for  the  compass  and  ruler  were  temporarily 


102 


ELEPHANTS  DESCRIED. 


exhausted,  I determined  to  enjoy  my  gun.  I cared 
but  little,  however,  for  any  game  except  elephants. 
Accordingly,  making  many  inquiries  about  these 
animals  from  some  Ovatjimba  whom  I found  en- 
camped at  Hokahanja,  I had  the  satisfaction  of 
learning  that  they  roamed  about  the  neighborhood 
in  considerable  numbers.  I lost,  therefore,  no  time 
in  setting  out  in  quest  of  the  noble  prey ; but,  after 
several  days’  fruitless  search,  though  there  was 
abundant  evidence  of  their  late  visit  to  the  place, 
we  could  discover  the  beasts  themselves  nowhere, 
and  returned  to  camp  in  any  thing  but  a pleasant 
temper. 

Success  was,  however,  nearer  than  we  suspected. 
I had  scarcely  dismounted  when  a stranger  Damara 
stepped  up  to  inform  me  that  three  male  elephants 
had  drunk  at  some  pits  a short  way  off  on  the  pre- 
ceding night.  This  was  good  news,  and  revived  our 
drooping  spirits  amazingly.  Having  then  enjoyed 
the  luxury  of  a good  wash,  and  partaken  of  Desert 
John’s  humble  fare,  I was  once  more  jogging  along 
on  my  faithful  steed,  the  ox  Seeland. 

After  a short  but  smart  ride  we  reached  the  spot 
indicated,  and  at  once  made  preparations  to  attack 
the  elephants  should  they  again  honor  the  place 
with  a visit.  Two  nights  elapsed  without  our  see- 
ing any  thing  of  them.  On  the  morning  of  the 
third  day,  however,  and  while  refreshing  the  inner 
man  after  a long  night’s  dreary  watch,  unbroken  by 
any  thing  save  the  howl  of  the  hyena,  the  mocking 


THE  TWIG-  OF  A THORN-TREE.  103 

laughs  of  the  jackals,  and  the  growlings  of  a naugh- 
ty lion,  a native,  whose  duty  it  was  to  report  on  the 
appearance  of  wild  animals,  suddenly  “ dropped  in,11 
and  silently  deposited  at  my  feet  a small  branch  of 
a thorn-tree.  Any  explanation  on  the  man’s  part 
was  unnecessary ; for,  after  having  carefully  exam- 
ined the  twig,  which  was  much  jagged  and  cut  by 
the  marks  of  teeth,  I at  once  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  it  had  been  torn  from  its  stem  only  a few 
hours  previously  by  elephants,  and  merely  inquired, 
“Where  are  they?  and  how  many  in  number?” 
To  the  first  of  my  queries  he  replied  by  pointing  to 
some  low  broken  hills  in  the  neighborhood ; to  the 
second  he  could  give  no  precise  answer.  He  had 
left  some  of  his  companions,  however,  to  watch  the 
movements  of  the  elephants. 

In  ten  minutes  I was  en  route , duly  equipped. 
After  a rapid  and  hot  march  of  rather  less  than 
two  hours’  duration,  we  saw  the  three  natives  left 
as  sentinels  running  toward  us  in  fiery  haste,  ex- 
claiming, out  of  breath,  u We  have  seen  them!  we 
have  seen  them!  there  are  three  of  them !”  adding, 
“But  there” — pointing  to  a small  eminence  on 
which  was  stuck  up  another  “Blackey,”  looking 
very  much  like  a huge  baboon — “you  can  see  for 
yourself.”  I did  not  wait  to  be  told  this  twice,  and 
had  soon  the  satisfaction  of  verifying  with  my  own 
eyes  the  statements  of  the  natives.  The  elephants 
were  then  distant  about  three  quarters  of  a mile 
apparently,  slowly  browsing  among  some  brush- 


104 


AN  AMBUSH. 


wood  at  the  foot  of  a low  ridge.  A few  seconds 
enabled  me  to  make  my  arrangements.  Leaving  a 
couple  of  men  on  the  rock  to  watch  the  movements 
of  the  animals,  I proceeded  with  the  rest  to  the  at- 
tack, making  a considerable  circuit  in  order  to  get 
to  the  leeward  of  our  game,  the  wind  being  at  first 
exceedingly  unfavorable. 

Having  gained  the  foot  of  the  hill  where  the 
brutes  were  last  seen,  I sent  two  natives  ahead  and 
up  the  hill  to  reconnoitre.  A low  whistle — the  sig- 
nal to  advance — was  soon  heard,  which  quickly 
brought  me  alongside  of  the  scouts.  The  elephants 
were  still  almost  on  the  spot  where  they  had  been 
first  seen,  but  I could  only  make  out  two.  Putting 
fresh  priming  and  caps  to  my  rifle,  and  ramming 
the  bullet  well  home,  I dropped  noiselessly  down 
the  rock,  accompanied  by  one  of  my  own  Damaras, 
who  carried  a spare  gun.  The  rest  of  the  party 
were  instructed  to  remain  quietly  in  their  safe  hid- 
ing-place. A couple  of  minutes’  walk  brought  me 
within  range  of  one  of  the  elephants,  and,  the  cover 
being  admirable,  I advanced  to  within  about  twen- 
ty-five paces  of  the  spot  where  he  stood.  He  was 
then  somewhat  aslant  from  me,  but  soon  turned  to 
me  his  broadside.  Some  minutes,  however,  elapsed 
before  I could  make  out  the  exact  position  of  his 
shoulder.  I once  attempted  to  get  a little  ahead 
of  him,  but  soon  found  my  situation  less  favorable 
than  before,  and  therefore  stuck  to  my  first  post. 
With  my  heavy  rifle  (carrying  steel-pointed  conical 


AN  ELEPHANT  KILLED. 


105 


bullets  three  to  the  pound)  ready  poised  in  my 
hand,  and  a double-barreled  smooth-bore,  ready 
cocked,  on  the  ground  beside  me,  I anxiously  wait- 
ed for  a chance  to  fire.  I wanted  him  to  move  a 
step  or  two  forward,  when  I knew  his  shoulder 
must  be  fully  exposed.  Suddenly  he  did  so,  and 
as  quickly  I covered  his  heart,  the  jungle  re-echo- 
ing the  next  instant  with  an  explosion  of  twelve 
drachms  of  Hall's  best  rifle  powder.  The  effect 
was  deadly.  With  a frightful  rush  forward  (it  was 
the  most  tremendous  plunge  I have  ever  witnessed 
by  any  wild  animal),  he  fell  prostrate  within  about 
150  yards  of  my  place  of  ambush. 

Another  elephant  was  evidently  following  the 
stricken  animal  (I  did  not  see  him,  but  judged  as 
much  by  the  noise  occasioned  by  his  flight),  and 
having  quickly  reloaded,  I pursued  the  fugitive. 
Suddenly,  when  within  less  than  200  yards  of  my 
intended  victim,  I found  myself  in  his  presence. 
He  was  partially  facing  me,  his  huge  ears  spread 
like  a pair  of  studding-sails,  giving  a defiant  and 
threatening  air  to  his  whole  attitude.  I did  not, 
however,  hesitate,  but  fired  at  once  at  his  shoulder, 
when  he  instantly  betook  himself  to  flight.  My 
henchman,  at  this  moment  becoming  frightened  at 
the  close  proximity  of  the  gigantic  creature,  instead 
of  handing  me  the  spare  gun,  also  ran  away.  Re- 
loading the  rifle,  I was  soon  once  more  in  pursuit, 
and  had  shortly  the  satisfaction  of  getting  again 
within  sight  of  the  poor  beast,  who,  from  the  quan- 


106 


A NEST  OF  HONEYCOMBS. 


tity  of  blood  on  his  spoor,  was  evidently  seriously 
wounded.  My  attendant  now  rejoined  me.  I man- 
aged this  time  to  fire  all  my  three  barrels ; but, 
though  every  bullet  sped  true,  they  had  not  the  ef- 
fect of  bringing  the  brute  down.  To  my  surprise 
and  satisfaction,  I soon  discovered,  nevertheless, 
that  instead  of  trying  to  make  his  escape  (perhaps 
he  felt  unequal  to  the  task),  he  gradually  began  re- 
tracing his  steps. 

Hearing  just  at  this  moment  a peculiar  hammer- 
ing noise  close  under  the  hill,  I turned  aside  to  as- 
certain its  cause.  It  arose,  I found,  from  a party  of 
Ovatjimba  who  were  busily  possessing  themselves 
of  a nest  of  honeycombs.  In  their  company  was  a 
number  of  noisy  curs,  who,  on  our  approach,  began 
to  give  tongue  in  a most  alarming  manner.  For 
a moment  I really  feared  my  quarry  would  escape 
me ; my  misgivings  fortunately  proved  unfounded, 
for  I soon  overtook  the  poor  creature  resting  under 
a small  tree.  I crept  quite  close  up  to  him,  and 
poured  once  more  the  contents  of  all  my  barrels 
into  his  body.  Unfortunately,  in  pulling  the  trig- 
ger of  the  smooth-bore,  both  barrels  went  off  to- 
gether, and  the  gun  being  light,  and  charged  with 
twenty  drachms  of  powder,  its  rapid  recoil  struck 
me  violently  in  the  face,  one  of  the  cocks  burying 
itself  deep  in  my  upper  lip  and  loosening  some  of 
my  teeth.  The  shock  almost  stunned  me ; it  was 
enough  to  have  prostrated  a horse;  yet  I almost 
instantly  recovered  myself.  As  to  the  elephant, 


ANOTHER  SUCCESSFUL  SHOT. 


107 


he  did  not  seem  to  have  been  hurt  at  all,  for  he  re- 
mained quite  motionless.  Large  bullets  and  pow- 
der now  failed  me ; I therefore  sent  my  attendant 
for  the  spare  supply  left  with  the  men  on  the  rock. 
While  waiting  for  his  return,  I rammed  down  a 
couple  of  small  bullets  in  the  rifle  and  fired  again. 
The  result  was  the  same  as  before,  i.  e.,  nil.  Hav- 
ing at  last  been  rejoined  by  my  men,  I gave  the 
wretched  animal  a couple  of  additional  five-ouncers 
as  a coup  de  grace , when  he  sunk  slowly  on  his 
haunches,  once  more  righted  himself,  and  then  fell 
with  a crash,  a corpse ! 

While  thus  engaged  a third  elephant  had  been 
espied  by  the  men  on  the  look-out,  and  on  being 
informed  that  he  was  seen  to  walk  in  the  direction 
of  his  first  prostrated  companion,  I hurried  off  at 
once  in  search  of  him,  but  had  not  gone  far  before 
I found  myself  surrounded  with  numerous  Ovat- 
jimba,  or  poor  Damaras,  making  the  most  terrific 
hubbub  in  celebration  of  my  success,  or  rather  at 
the  prospect  of  a gorge  on  six  tons  of  elephant 
flesh.  I can  not  describe  my  annoyance  on  finding 
myself  thus  unexpectedly  baffled  in  my  object ; for 
of  course  the  surviving  elephant,  scared  by  the  noise, 
had  precipitately  left  the  spot  where  he  had  been 
seen.  Had  it  not  been  for  this  annoying  incident, 
I should,  in  all  probability,  have  come  up  with,  and 
perhaps  have  killed  him  too,  which  would,  indeed, 
have  made  a glorious  day’s  sport.  As  it  was,  I had 
done  pretty  well.  I had  bagged,  to  use  the  sports- 


108  BREAKFAST  OF  ELEPHANTS  FOOT  AND  HONEY. 

man’s  phrase,  two  fine  young  males,  measuring  re- 
spectively from  the  shoulder  11  feet  and  llj  feet. 
The  tusks,  however,  were  not  on  a par  with  the 
size  of  the  animals,  the  largest  not  much  exceeding 
50  lbs. 

By  this  time  more  than  fifty  Damaras  were  on 
the  spot,  while  others  were  flocking  in  on  all  sides, 
including  even  Bushmen  and  Berg  Damaras  from 
the  neighboring  mountain  Etjo.  The  sudden,  and 
to  me  perfectly  astonishing  and  inexplicable  appear- 
ance of  these  carnivorants  strongly  reminded  me 
of  a flight  of  vultures.  The  next  morning  I break- 
fasted on  an  elephant’s  foot,  done  under  the  ashes, 
and  a dish  of  honey— a meal  fit  for  a king. 


NIGHT  WATCHES  AND  DAY  TRACKINGS.  109 


CHAPTEE  VII. 

Night  Watches  and  Day  Trackings. — A great  English  Sports- 
man and  a great  English  Traveler’s  Opinion  of  Dr.  Living- 
stone.— A Moonlight  Ambush. — Living  Pictures  of  Animal 
Life.— Nature’s  Menagerie. — Two  more  Elephants  killed. — 
A Night  Assemblage  of  a large  Herd  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  Elephants  at  a drinking  Tank. — The  furious  Trumpet- 
ings  of  the  Herd  when  fired  at. — Female  Elephants  partic- 
ularly vicious. — A Cow  Elephant-hunt. — The  Hunter  hunt- 
ed.— Narrow  Escape. — Following  the  Spoors  of  a Herd. — 
The  Emigration  of  Elephants. — Paterfamilias,  or  General  of 
Division. — An  unsatisfactory  Shot. — A Tree  torn  up. — A 
Picture  of  Rage  and  Grandeur. 

After  the  event  narrated  in  the  preceding  chap- 
ter, I worked  hard,  watching  by  night  for  elephants 
at  the  water,  and  following  on  their  spoors  in  the 
daytime,  but  met  with  no  success  proportionate  to 
my  exertions,  which  were  really  severe.  I do  not 
mean,  however,  to  task  the  reader's  patience  by  re- 
questing him  to  follow  me  through  all  my  vicis- 
situdes of  good  and  ill  luck,  through  my  weary 
marches  and  countermarches,  through  the  cold, 
cheerless  nights,  and  the  days  of  scorching  heat, 
which  painfully  diversified  this  exciting  quest,  but 
will  content  myself  with  selecting  a few  incidents 
attending  it  most  worthy  of  note,  which  will  ex- 
hibit under  different  aspects,  and  in  striking  cir- 


110  A traveler’s  OPINION  OF  DR.  LIVINGSTONE. 

cumstances,  the  character  of  the  most  antediluvian, 
perhaps,  from  size,  as  well  as  of  the  most  interest- 
ing of  animals. 

I had  arrived  one  day,  a few  minutes  before  sun- 
set, at  a large  vley  of  water  called  Okavaoa,  of 
which  I had  previously  heard  nothing;  for  the 
Damaras,  as  often  mentioned  in  my  former  work, 
are  most  tardy  informants.  I only  discovered  the 
existence  of  this  reservoir,  or  tank,  by  mere  acci- 
dent. From  the  number  of  footprints  in  the  sand 
at  the  place,  it  was  evident,  nevertheless,  that  it  was 
at  times  much  resorted  to  by  elephants.  There 
was,  however,  some  danger  in  facing  them,  as  the 
locality  was,  with  the  exception  of  three  or  four 
ant-hills,  destitute  of  adequate  shelter.  Time,  more- 
over, did  not  admit  of  constructing  a uskarm,”  or 
place  of  concealment;  yet,  not  relishing  the  idea 
of  losing  a chance,  I determined  at  all  hazards  to 
take  up  my  position  for  a few  shots  on  one  of  these 
ant-hills,  and  carried  this  resolution  into  effect  on 
a night  when  the  moon  was  at  its  full,  a circum- 
stance much  in  my  favor. 

A great  sportsman  and  a great  traveler*  once 
told  me — prefacing  his  pleasant  remark  with  a 
u saving  your  presence” — that  he  considered  am- 
bushing for  game  at  night  nothing  better  than 

* On  asking  the  same  gentleman  what  he  thought  of  Dr. 
Livingstone,  he  returned  me  the  following  characteristic  reply : 
“ Well,  to  look  at  the  man,  you  would  think  nothing  of  him ; 
but  he  is  a plucky  little  devil.” 


MIDNIGHT  AMBUSH NATURE’S  MENAGERIE.  Ill 

“ dirty  poaching.”  But  I must  beg  leave  to  differ 
from  my  friend,  to  whose  superior  judgment  in 
sporting  matters  I otherwise  respectfully  bow,  for 
I am  quite  sure  he  has  had  little  or  no  experience 
in  this  matter,  and  probably  for  this  simple  reason, 
that  he  is  always  richly  furnished  with  well-trained 
hunters,  and  thus  has  at  command  the  easiest  and 
surest  means  of  enjoying  his  gun  without  the  fa- 
tigues attendant  on  night  watching.  During  my 
peregrinations,  however,  in  South  Africa,  I have 
seen  something  of  every  sort  of  sport — whether 
at  night  by  the  side  of  the  mirrored  water  or  the 
“ salt-lick,”  or  by  day  on  foot  or  on  horseback — 
and  I must  conscientiously  declare  that,  in  my  opin- 
ion, a moonlight  ambush  by  a pool  well  frequented 
by  wild  animals  is  worth  all  the  other  modes  of 
enjoying  a gun  put  together.  In  the  first  place, 
there  is  something  mysterious  and  thrilling  in  find- 
ing one’s  self  the  secret  and  unsuspected  spectator 
of  the  wild  movements,  habits,  and  propensities  of 
the  denizens  of  nature’s  varied  and  wonderful  me- 
nagerie— no  high  feeding,  no  barred  gates,  no  harsh 
and  cruel  keeper’s  voice  having  yet  enervated,  damp- 
ed, or  destroyed  the  elasticity,  buoyancy,  frolicsome- 
ness of  animal  life.  And  then  the  intense  excite- 
ment between  each  expected  arrival ! The  distant 
footstep,  now  heard  distinctly  rattling  over  a rug- 
ged surface,  now  gently  vibrating  on  the  strained 
ear,  as  it  treads  over  softer  ground — it  may  be  that 
of  a small  antelope  or  an  elephant,  of  a wild  boar 


112 


LIVING  PICTURES. 


or  a rhinoceros,  of  a gnn  or  a giraffe,  of  a jackal  or 
a lion ! And  then  what  opportunities  present  them- 
selves of  observing  the  habits  and  peculiarities  of 
each  species,  and  even  of  individuals,  to  say  noth- 
ing of  the  terrible  battles  that  sometimes  take  place 
at  these  encounters,  which  can  so  rarely  be  wit- 
nessed in  the  daytime.  I have  certainly  learned 
more  of  the  untamed  life  of  savage  beasts  in  a sin- 
gle night’s  tableau  vivant  than  during  months  of 
toilsome  wanderings  in  the  broad  light  of  the  sun. 

Nevertheless,  under  even  the  disadvantage  of  day- 
light, what  can  be  more  picturesque  or  exciting 
than  the  groups  of  strange  wild  creatures  which 
constantly  cross  the  path  of  the  traveler,  who, 
plunging  into  wilds  and  saharas,  finds  himself  at 
once  in  the  midst  of  their  quadruped  tenants,  in 
their  very  haunts  and  homes?  or,  in  the  words  of 
Pringle,  perhaps  the  only  poet  who  has  derived  in- 
spiration from  Africa, 

“ Away,  away  from  the  dwellings  of  men, 

By  the  wild  deer’s  haunt,  by  the  buffalo’s  glen ; 

By  valleys  remote  where  the  oribi  plays, 

Where  the  gnu,  the  gazelle,  and  the  hartebeeste  graze ; 
And  the  kudor  and  eland  unhunted  recline 
By  the  skirts  of  gray  forests  o’erhung  with  wild  vine : 
Where  the  elephant  browses  at  peace  in  his  wood, 

And  the  river-horse  gambols  unscared  in  the  flood ; 

And  the  mighty  rhinoceros  wallows  at  will 
In  the  fen  where  the  wild  ass  is  drinking  his  fill. 

O’er  the  brown  Karroo,  where  the  bleating  cry 
Of  the  springbok’s  fawn  sounds  plaintively, 


TWO  TROOPS  OF  ELEPHANTS. 


113 


And  the  timorous  quagga’s  shrill  whistling  neigh 
Is  heard  by  the  fountain  at  twilight  gray : 

Where  the  zebra  wantonly  tosses  his  mane, 

With  wild  hoof  scouring  the  desolate  plain ; 

And  the  fleet-footed  ostrich  over  the  waste 
Speeds  like  a horseman  who  travels  in  haste, 

Hieing  away  to  the  home  of  her  rest, 

Where  she  and  her  mate  have  Scooped  their  nest, 

Far  hid  from  the  pitiless  plunderer’s  view 
In  the  pathless  depths  of  the  parched  Karroo.” 

To  return  to  my  story.  I had  not  been  long 
perched  on  my  post  of  observation,  i.  e.,  the  ant- 
hill, before  a crashing  and  cracking  among  the  trees 
and  bushes  in  the  neighboring  thicket  announced 
the  approach  of  elephants ; in  a few  moments  aft- 
erward the  looming  of  a dozen  huge  unwieldy  fig- 
ures in  the  distance  told  of  their  arrival.  They  ap- 
peared to  be  young  males.  I was  too  far  to  fire 
with  any  certainty  of  success,  and  therefore  left  my 
ambush  in  order  to  stalk  within  range;  but  the 
beasts  were  on  their  guard,  and  soon  began  to  re- 
treat, a shot  at  the  nearest  hastening  their  exit. 
The  lead  sped  true,  but  not  fatally,  and  the  troop 
disappeared  immediately.  I had  scarcely  with- 
drawn to  my  ant-hill  when  another  herd,  consisting 
of  full-grown  bulls,  rapidly  approached  the  water, 
with  a steady,  heedful  step.  I ran  to  a small  tree 
to  intercept  them,  and  just  as  the  foremost  of  them 
had  fairly  passed  me,  in  rather  dangerous  proximi- 
ty, I pulled  the  trigger.  Receiving  the  bullet,  the 
brute  uttered  a faint  cry,  and  with  ears  erect,  and 

H 


114 


TWO  MORE  DEATHS. 


proboscis  swaying  to  and  fro,  turned  and  fled,  pass- 
ing within  a few  paces  of  the  spot  where  I stood. 
One  of  his  companions  took  the  same  course  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  tree,  thus  placing  me  between 
two  tremendous  foes.  I felt  frightened,  but  for- 
tunately they  did  not  attempt  to  molest  me.  The 
elephant  I had  hit  also,  to  my  no  small  surprise, 
made  his  escape  in  safety.  I felt  annoyed  at  my 
bad  success,  and  was  asking  myself  how  it  was  that 
my  last  shot  had  not  proved  fatal,  when  I observed 
two  other  elephants  cautiously  approaching,  halting 
in  their  approach  at  some  little  distance  from  the 
water.  After  a while,  however,  the  leader,  more 
courageous  than  his  associate,  pushed  forward,  stop- 
ping, nevertheless,  now  and  then  to  listen.  I was 
at  this  moment  well  covered  by  an  ant-hill,  and  had 
my  rifle  in  rest  at  my  side.  Having  arrived  within 
less  than  a dozen  paces  of  this  spot,  just  opposite 
my  temporary  ambush,  the  animal  stopped  short. 
That  pause  proved  his  death,  for  the  next  instant 
a well-directed  bullet  pierced  his  heart.  Turning 
sharply  round,  and  staggering  forward  about  fifty 
paces,  he  Game  heavily  to  the  ground,  a lifeless 
mass.  He  proved  a very  fine  elephant.  After  a 
while  his  companion,  who  had  hurriedly  retreated 
on  hearing  the  report  of  the  gun,  again  appeared. 
Of  course  I was  at  once  in  attendance,  and  was  flat- 
tering myself  that  he  would  give  me  a fine  chance 
of  a broadside,  when  just  at  that  moment  a puff 
of  wind  in  the  wrong  direction  sent  him  away  in 


150  ELEPHANTS  AT  A DRINKING  TANK.  115 

double-quick  time.  As  he  was  thus  retreating  I 
suddenly  pulled  the  trigger,  and  with  good  effect, 
for  the  beast  was  found  dead  next  morning  at  no 
great  distance  from  the  place  where  he  received  the 
wound.  On  discharging  this  last  shot  I was  in  a 
sitting  posture,  and  the  recoil  of  the  rifle  fairly 
knocked  me  head  over  heels,  disabling  at  the  same 
time — which  was  far  more  disagreeable — my  right 
shoulder,  generally  on  my  hunting  excursions  pro- 
tected with  a pad,  that  had  been  accidentally,  on 
this  occasion,  left  behind  at  the  bivouac.  The  rifle 
which  did  this  mischief  was  charged  with  twelve 
drachms  of  powder.  I never  afterward  exceeded 
nine  and  a half,  and  I have  found  by  experience 
that  quantity  to  be  more  than  sufficient. 

Besides  the  excruciating  pain  I suffered  in  my 
shoulder,  I was  also  hurt  in  the  chest ; neverthe- 
less, I stuck  to  my  post  of  observation  for  a while, 
and  was  well  rewarded  for  my  patience,  for  the  best 
part  of  the  night’s  entertainment  was  yet  to  come. 
I had  returned  but  a short  time  to  my  ambush, 
when  a large  herd  of  female  elephants,  with  their 
calves,  came  on,  perfectly  heedless  of  the  firing 
which  had  previously  taken  place.  With  a rush 
they  gained  the  water,  exactly  opposite  to  where  I 
was  perched  on  my  ant-hill.  Soon  afterward  they 
were  joined  by  several  other  troops  pouring  in  from 
different  directions,  consisting  of  cows  and  bulls  in- 
termixed. It  was  quite  remarkable  to  observe  how 
they  ranged  themselves  closely  side  by  side,  like  a 


116  FURIOUS  TRUMPETINGS  OF  THE  HERD. 

line  of  infantry.  They  drew  themselves  up  in  sin- 
gle file,  occupying  the  entire  width  of  the  water 
(which  at  that  point  was  300  yards  broad).  I es- 
timated their  numbers  at  between  100  and  150. 
The  moon  was  just  then  nearly  at  its  zenith,  and 
shed  a glorious  and  dazzling  light  on  the  huge 
creatures  below.  I felt  no  inclination  to  disturb 
so  striking  a picture,  and,  indeed,  if  I had  been  so 
disposed  it  would  little  have  availed  me,  as  the 
vley  in  the  direction  occupied  by  the  elephants  was 
totally  destitute  of  cover.  So  all  I could  do,  and 
did,  was  to  look  on,  sigh,  and  admire. 

When  the  elephants  had  ceased  drinking  and 
were  about  moving  away,  I hurried  forward  to  in- 
tercept their  retreat,  and,  as  the  very  last  of  them 
was  disappearing,  succeeded,  with  some  difficulty, 
in  shouldering  my  rifle  and  firing.  The  rush  and 
the  trumpeting  which  followed  this  discharge  was 
truly  appalling.  The  herds  actually  seemed  to  yell 
with  rage.  They  were,  indeed,  an  unusually  sav- 
age lot,  as  I shortly  afterward  discovered  in  an  en- 
counter which  very  nearly  cost  me  my  life.  My 
last  shot,  though  a hurried  and  uncertain  one,  took 
effect ; a fine  cow  was  killed  by  it,  but  her  carcass 
was  not  discovered  till  two  days  afterward.  I thus 
brought  down  three  elephants  that  night,  besides 
wounding  two  others. 

Some  little  time  after  the  incident  just  related,  I 
found  myself  one  morning  at  a place  called  Orom- 
boto,  a favorite  drinking  rendezvous  of  elephants. 


A RIGHT  ROYAL  FRONT 


SHE-ELEPHANTS. 


119 


There  was  no  visible  water,  but  the  animals  could 
generally  procure  a sufficiency  by  digging  a few  feet 
below  the  surface  of  the  earth  with  their  trunks,  a 
mode  of  quenching  their  thirst  to  which  they  are 
very  partial.  There  were,  however,  several  other 
and  similar  watering-places  in  the  neighborhood; 
in  order,  consequently,  to  have  more  than  one  string 
to  my  bow,  I sent  parties  in  various  directions  to 
search  out  fresh  spoors.  One  of  these  parties  re- 
turned almost  immediately  with  the  news  that  they 
had  suddenly  come  upon  two  young  male  elephants. 
I was  soon  in  pursuit  of  them  ; but,  alas ! on  reach- 
ing the  spot  where  they  had  been  seen,  we  found, 
instead  of  two  bulls,  a herd  of  cows  and  calves — 
some  of  my  old  acquaintances.  I felt  at  first  very 
loth  to  attack  them,  and  for  two  reasons : first,  be- 
cause she-elephants  are  infinitely  more  dangerous 
than  males ; and,  secondly,  because  they  yield  but 
little  ivory,  to  say  nothing  of  the  mischief  done  to 
the  species,  who  are  slow  breeders,  producing,  more- 
over, only  one  calf  at  a time.  As  I was,  however, 
on  the  spot,  and,  besides,  really  in  want  of  meat — - 
hundreds  of  starving  Ovatjimba  following  in  my 
train  begging  for  food — I,  after  due  hesitation,  re- 
solved on  the  assault. 

I had  crept  up  to  within  less  than  thirty  paces 
of  a noble  cow,  and  was  only  waiting  for  the  brute 
to  present  some  eligible  point  to  fire  at,  when,  while 
thus  watching  her  movements,  two  others  had  un- 
perceived approached  me  from  behind,  and,  before 


120 


THE  HUNTER  HUNTED. 


I became  aware  of  their  nearness  to  me,  were  actu- 
ally only  about  fifteen  yards  from  where  I sat.  In- 
deed, they  would  probably  have  been  upon  me  in  a 
second  or  two  had  I not  chanced  to  cast  my  eyes 
on  my  native  attendant,  who  was  crouched  along- 
side of  me  in  fear  and  trembling,  with  his  teeth 
chattering  quite  audibly.  He  had  discovered  the 
danger,  but  had  either  not  the  sense  to  warn  me, 
or  had  become  too  frightened  to  speak.  It  was  by 
following  the  man’s  fixed  and  frightened  gaze  that 
I first  became  conscious  of  our  unpleasant  situa- 
tion. To  rise  to  my  feet — to  clear,  with  a tre- 
mendous leap,  the  first  bush  that  obstructed  my 
flight,  was  but  the  work  of  a moment.  The  brutes 
pursued  me  instantly,  and  I was  obliged  to  aban- 
don precipitately  a second  ambush  I had  taken  up. 
The  troop  at  last  stopped,  and,  following  their  ex- 
ample, I dropped  flat  behind  a bush. 

The  whole  herd  was  now  facing  me,  distant  only 
a hundred  yards.  What  with  their  small,  peer- 
ing, restless,  mischievous-looking  eyes,  huge  flapping 
ears,  elevated  trunks,  etc.,  their  appearance  was  al- 
together most  fierce  and  threatening.  I was  more 
than  once  in  the  act  of  pulling  the  trigger  at  the 
foremost  cow,  but  was  afraid,  feeling  certain  that 
if  she  received  the  shot,  even  should  it  prove  fatal, 
the  entire  body  of  them  would  once  more  be  at 
my  heels.  While  in  this  dilemma,  they  suddenly 
wheeled  right  about.  This  was  my  time,  and  I in- 
stantly fired  at  the  original  leader.  The  act  proved 


A CHARGE  OF  THE  HERD. 


121 


a rash  one.  With  a shrill  and  heart-piercing  trum- 
peting, the  beasts  charged  down  upon  me  furiously. 
Those  who  know  what  it  is  to  run  for  one’s  life  can 
easily  imagine  that  I did  my  best  to  outstrip  my 
pursuers.  The  rifle,  a heavy  one,  considerably  im- 
peded my  progress;  but  the  shorter  the  distance 
became  between  me  and  my  foes,  the  tighter  I 
grasped  my  weapon.  For  some  seconds  my  escape 
seemed  more  than  doubtful ; but,  providentially, 
just  as  I was  almost  out  of  breath,  the  elephants 
stopped  short  in  their  chase.  Had  they  but  follow- 
ed for  another  fifty  yards,  destruction  would  have 
been  inevitable,  for  I had  to  cross  a considerable 
open  space. 

At  last,  feeling  myself  in  tolerable  security,  I 
halted,  and  ascended  a conspicuous  ant-hill  to  as- 
certain what  my  enemies  were  about ; but  I could 
only  perceive,  as  I thought,  a solitary  elephant 
standing  under  a tree,  just  on  the  edge  of  the  open 
space  alluded  to.  Thinking  it  might  possibly  be 
the  one  I had  fired  at,  and  that  she  might  be  more 
or  less  disabled,  I ventured  to  approach,  but  had 
not  proceeded  far  before  I found  out  my  mistake. 
Instead  of  a single  elephant,  it  turned  out  to  be 
about  one  half  of  the  whole  herd ; and  they  looked 
so  exasperated  and  so  on  their  guard,  to  say  noth- 
ing of  the  exposed  nature  of  the  ground,  that  I at 
once  withdrew,  thinking  discretion  in  this  case  the 
better  part  of  valor.  But,  seeing  me,  they  soon  re- 
newed their  charge,  now  and  then  stopping  as  if  to 


122 


THE  SPOORS  OF  A HERD. 


reconnoitre.  I managed,  nevertheless,  to  stow  my- 
self away  in  a place  of  security,  whence  I watched 
their  movements  with  great  curiosity. 

Coming  to  a certain  spot,  probably  where  we 
had  been  standing,  they  would  suddenly  halt  and 
examine  the  ground,  apparently  with  great  care. 
They  would  then  as  suddenly  move  off  at  full 
speed,  with  trunks  erect,  ears  flapping  most  audi- 
bly against  their  rugged  sides,  switching  at  the 
same  time  their  stumpy  and  almost  hairless  tails 
rapidly  to  and  fro.  After  a while  they  were  lost 
to  view,  and  I was  not  sorry  at  their  departure, 
while  I secretly  vowed  never  to  molest  cows,  more 
especially  when  accompanied  with  calves,  unless  I 
could  get  adequate  cover. 

My  bad  luck  on  the  present  occasion  was  com- 
pensated for  in  some  degree  on  the  ensuing  night, 
when  a fine  male  elephant  dropped  dead  to  my 
shot. 

One  more  story,  and  I shall  have  done  with  ele- 
phants, for  the  present  at  least. 

At  an  early  hour  on  the  day  previous  to  the  one 
I had  fixed  on  for  my  departure  from  Oromboto, 
I took  up  the  spoors  of  an  immense  herd  of  female 
elephants ; and  the  reason  why  I so  soon  broke  the 
resolution  so  lately  formed  was,  that  in  the  spoors 
just  mentioned  there  were  tracks  of  first-rate  bulls 
among  those  of  the  cows.  Now  I hoped  to  find 
the  bulls  by  themselves,  or  perhaps  lingering  be- 
hind the  rest  of  the  troop.  The  direction  these 


EMIGRATION  OF  ELEPHANTS. 


123 


elephants  at  first  pursued  led  me  to  suppose  they 
were  about  to  visit  their  usual  haunts,  but  subse- 
quent circumstances  soon  convinced  me  that,  far 
from  this  being  the  case,  they  were  evidently  tak- 
ing their  leave  of  this  neighborhood  altogether. 
Indeed,  I came  to  the  conclusion  that  they  were  re- 
turning to  their  homes  in  the  Kaoko,  having  found 
that  country,  on  my  return  journey  through  that 
part  of  Damara  Land,  every  where  quite  void  of  ele- 
phants, though  celebrated  as  their  habitual  abode. 
Hour  after  hour  elapsed,  miles  after  miles  of  weary 
walking  were  passed,  without  the  least  indication 
that  the  herds  would  come  to  a halt.  The  zeal  of 
the  trackers  began  to  flag,  and  I felt  inclined  to 
give  up  the  pursuit,  when  suddenly,  at  about  two 
o’clock  one  afternoon,  we  espied  the  rear-guard  of 
the  stupendous  game  slowly  wending  their  way 
across  some  rising  ground  a short  distance  ahead. 
At  this  sight  every  face  brightened,  the  step  be- 
came once  more  elastic,  and  hunger,  thirst,  and  fa- 
tigue were  all  forgotten  at  the  exciting  prospect 
before  us. 

Leaving  all  my  people  behind  with  the  exception 
of  one  of  my  own  native  boys,  I started  in  pursuit 
of  the  quarry.  The  cover  unfortunately  was  scanty 
and  unfavorable  in  the  extreme ; but,  in  the  hope 
of  finding  better,  I followed  leisurely  and  cautious- 
ly in  the  immediate  track  of  the  elephants,  keeping 
a sharp  look-out  on  every  side  for  fear  of  leaving 
any  behind.  Suddenly  my  henchman  pulled  me 


124  PATERFAMILIAS,  OR  GENERAL  OF  DIVISION. 

by  the  sleeve,  and  at  the  same  time  pointing  to  a 
small  break  on  our  left  (above  which  appeared  the 
backs  of  some  suspicious-looking  animals),  whisper- 
ed, “Bull  elephants.”  “Capital,”  I responded,  in 
the  same  subdued  tone ; and  at  once  leaving  the 
herd  immediately  before  me,  I made  for  the  spot 
indicated.  In  a very  short  time  I found  myself 
within  easy  range,  but,  to  my  dismay,  discovered 
that  almost  all  the  animals  were  females  with  their 
young.  There  were  two  or  three  fine  males,  how- 
ever, one  of  whom  evidently  acted  as  the  'paterfa- 
milias to  this  portion  of  the  emigrants,  or,  militarily 
speaking,  as  a general  of  division.  This  particular 
elephant  was  standing  in  a position  outskirting  the 
rest,  but  his  shoulder,  unfortunately,  was  partially 
hidden  by  two  large  calves,  which  the  jolly  old  pa- 
triarch was  busily  caressing.  A very  slight  change 
of  attitude  was  all  I required  to  enable  me  to  send 
him  to  the  land  of  shades,  and  I waited  in  breath- 
less anxiety  for  this  opportunity.  To  my  intense 
disappointment,  however,  the  huge  brute  all  at  once 
tossed  his  trunk  on  high,  and  giving  his  sides  two 
or  three  smart  slaps  with  his  monster  ears,  turned 
abruptly  round  and  made  off,  instantly  followed  by 
the  whole  herd.  But  it  would  never  do  to  allow 
them  to  escape  thus.  Springing,  therefore,  to  my 
feet,  and  advancing  a few  steps,  I leveled  and  fired 
at  the  second  in  size  of  the  males  just  as  he  was 
disappearing  from  view.  The  bullet  struck  him, 
but  very  unsatisfactorily,  for  it  glanced  off  and  went 


FURIOUS  CHARGE  OF  A PATERFAMILIAS. 


AN  ELEPHANT  IN  A PASSION. 


127 


hissing  through  the  air.  In  a moment  the  retreat- 
ing column  turned  right  about,  and  made  a furious 
and  headlong  charge  all  but  over  me.  I had  thrown 
myself  flat  on  the  ground,  sheltered  only  by  an  in- 
significant little  shrub.  A false  move  would  have 
been  death.  After  looking  about  him  inquiringly, 
the  paterfamilias  made  a second  random  dash  at 
the  supposed  foe,  in  which  charge  the  enraged  brute 
actually  tore  up  by  the  roots  and  carried  off  a whole 
tree.  He  looked  the  very  picture  of  rage  and  grand- 
eur as,  for  a few  seconds,  he  stood  exposed  to  full 
view,  part  of  the  shattered  tree  still  clinging  to  his 
tusks.  I was  thoroughly  scared,  and  held  my 
breath  in  dreadful  and  agonizing  suspense.  Not 
being  able  to  discover  any  thing,  he  once  more,  ac- 
companied by  the  rest  of  the  troop,  faced  right 
about,  and  was  soon  lost  to  view  in  the  jungle.  I 
hailed  their  departure  with  rapture;  for,  though 
I had  failed  in  my  object,  I felt  heartily  thankful 
that  my  life  was  saved. 


128 


A RECOMMENDATION. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A Herd  of  Camelopards  or  Giraffes. — One  Shot. — A comic 
Scene. — A Lion  wounded. — The  Antelope. — The  Eland. — 
The  Numerousness  of  this  ruminant  Tribe. — The  Springbok, 
its  extraordinary  Agility. — A Damara  trading  Caravan  des- 
tined for  Ovambo  Land. — Retainers  of  Afrikander. — I re- 
fuse to  join  the  Caravan. — Dearth  of  Water. — Rejoined  by 
the  Wagon. — Start  again  to  the  Eastward. — Lion  Man- 
eaters,  a Native  carried  off  by  one  of  them. — Mr.  Green’s 
Narrative. — Lion  Chase. — Fragments  and  Bones  of  the  Nar 
tive  discovered. — Another  Visit  from  a Lion. — Dismay  in 
the  Encampment. — Wild  Boars. — Dogs  no  Match  for  them. 
— I overtake  the  Caravan,  and  determine  to  accompany  it 
for  a while. 

Besides  elephant-hunting  I had  also  some  other 
sport,  for  the  country  was  fairly  besprinkled  with 
a variety  of  game.  Indeed,  had  I killed  for  the 
mere  sake  of  killing,  I might  easily  have  destroyed 
great  numbers  of  the  ferce  naturae  ; but  I abstained 
from  the  temptation,  first,  because  I am  averse  to 
wanton  slaughter,  and,  secondly,  because  I made  it 
a point  seldom  or  never  to  fire  at  any  other  game 
while  in  the  pursuit  of  elephants — a rule  I strong- 
ly recommend  to  such  of  my  readers  as  may  here- 
after engage  in  this  spirit-stirring  chase.  The  rea- 
son of  this  recommendation  will  be  obvious  when 
I state  that,  the  moment  the  natives  get  the  pros- 


A GIRAFFE  KILLED. — A COMIC  SCENE.  129 

pect  of  a feast,  they  care  not  a straw  for  any  thing 
else ; and  as  the  sportsman  is  more  or  less  depend- 
ent on  them  as  trackers,  carriers,  etc.,  this  consid- 
eration is  really  to  him  an  important  one.  The 
keener  the  appetite  of  his  followers  is  kept,  the 
more  effectual  will  be  their  efforts  to  aid  him. 

One  morning  I met  with  an  adventure  of  a some- 
what novel  kind.  I was  accompanied  by  nearly 
one  hundred  starving  Ovatjimba,  and  having  come 
unperceived  upon  a herd  of  camelopards,  I succeed- 
ed, after  a short  stalk,  in  bringing  down  a good- 
sized  bull.  While  the  poor  brute  was  still  in  his 
death-struggles,  the  natives,  in  their  usual  wild, 
careless  manner,  came  running  up  to  surround  him, 
joyfully  uproarious  in  the  anticipation  of  an  unex- 
pected banquet ; for  a gorge  on  animal  flesh  is  to 
savages  the  height  of  happiness.  I kept  aloof  from 
the  motley  group,  being  aware,  from  previous  ex- 
perience, that  a wounded  giraffe  in  his  expiring 
agonies  is  a most  dangerous  foe.  And  it  was  well 
I took  this  precaution ; for  suddenly  the  prostrate 
beast  made  a violent  effort  to  rise,  and  heaving  his 
branchy  neck  on  high,  describing  with  it  a kind  of 
semicircle  through  the  air,  falling  at  the  same  time 
again,  while  using  his  heels  most  effectually,  heavi- 
ly to  the  ground,  he  sent  all  the  by-standers  in  an 
instant  sprawling  in  the  dust.  At  first,  dreading 
some  mischief,  I ran  forward  to  assist  any  who 
might  be  hurt;  but  seeing  that,  beyond  a heavy 
fall,  a few  scratches,  and  the  loss  of  sundry  pieces 

I 


130 


A LAZY  LION. 


of  skin,  no  serious  injury  had  been  sustained,  I 
burst  into  a hearty  laugh,  for  the  appearance  of 
the  discomfited  crew,  with  their  crestfallen  looks, 
stupefied  aspects,  and  dust-covered  figures,  was  high- 
ly ludicrous. 

Lions  were  not  uncommon  in  these  parts;  but, 
except  at  night,  when  they  occasionally  exerted 
their  odious  musical  powers,  we  neither  saw  nor 
heard  much  of  them.  One  day,  however,  about 
three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  we  came  unexpect- 
edly upon  a huge  male  lion,  walking  at  kingly  leis- 
ure about  two  hundred  yards  in  advance  of  us. 
Unfortunately,  my  double-barreled  rifle,  which  I 
had  discharged  in  the  early  part  of  the  day,  was  un- 
loaded. I had  intended  to  clean  it  out  at  the  first 
halting-place,  much  resorted  to  by  elephants,  which 
I hoped  to  reach  on  the  ensuing  evening.  Thus  it 
happened  that  as  I rode  along  I could,  merely  out 
of  curiosity,  keep  the  brute  in  view.  We  gained, 
however,  rapidly  on  our  royal  attendant,  and  my 
henchman  having  come  up  with  the  “smasher,11  I 
felt  the  temptation  to  become  nearer  acquainted 
with  his  majesty  irresistible.  Accordingly,  when 
he  was  about  one  hundred  paces  distant  I suddenly 
dismounted,  and,  raising  the  heavy  elephant  rifle  to 
my  shoulder,  quickly  drew  the  trigger  just  as  the 
lazy  animal  was  about  to  disappear  under  a small 
tree.  We  could  distinctly  see  the  bullet  (a  5-ounce) 
enter  his  hind  quarters,  apparently  traversing  the 
entire  length  of  his  body,  for  it  took  its  egress 


THE  COUP  DE  GRACE. 


131 


through  one  of  his  shoulders.  Uttering  a growl, 
down  came  his  majesty  instantly  on  his  haunches ; 
yet,  strange  to  say,  although  the  whole  party  was 
in  full  view  of  him,  and  making,  besides,  a consid- 
erable noise,  he  continued  quite  unaware  of  our 
presence,  and  kept  staring  intensely  ahead.  I had 
soon  loaded  another  rifle  (the  double-barrel  this 
time),  and  was  just  putting  the  caps  on,  when  the 
brute  slowly  rose  and  limped  forward.  He  did  not 
proceed  far  before  he  lay  down ; and  I was  already 
within  less  than  twenty  yards  of  him,  and  about  to 
emerge  from  behind  a tree  that  had  afforded  us 
mutual  concealment,  in  order  to  give  him  the  coup 
de  grace , when  suddenly,  and  for  the  first  time,  he 
perceived  me,  and,  rising  on  his  feet,  disappeared 
before  I could  get  a shot  at  him  in  a thick  brake 
immediately  at  his  back.  There,  being  pressed  for 
time,  we  left  him.  There  was  not  much  blood  on 
his  track,  but  splinters  of  bone  strewed  the  ground 
in  more  than  one  spot.  The  ultimate  fate  of  this 
lion  is  unknown  to  me,  though  it  is  scarcely  possi- 
ble he  could  survive  the  terrible  wound  he  had  re- 
ceived. 

In  the  course  of  my  rambles  in  this  district  I 
met  with  numerous  traces  of  elands,  but  only  once 
caught  a glimpse  of  the  animals  themselves.  I 
had  never  before  seen  this  fine  antelope  so  far  to 
the  southward  in  Damara  Land,  but  had  once  been 
informed  that  a herd  had  descended  as  far  as  Ot- 
jimbingue. 


132 


ANTELOPES. 


I was,  however,  very  particular  in  my  inquiries 
about  this  numerous  tribe,  for  the  great  peculiarity 
of  the  zoology  of  South  Africa  is  the  predominance 
of  that  particular  form  of  the  ruminant  order  of 
Mammalia  called  Antelope.  The  horns  of  these 
ruminants  marking  their  species,  as  most  of  my 
readers  may  know,  are  of  two  kinds  in  respect 
of  substance.  One  consists  of  almost  solid  bone. 
Such  horns,  or,  more  properly,  antlers,  are  peculiar 
to  the  deer  class;  they  are  usually  branched,  and 
are  shed  and  renewed  annually.  The  other  kind 
of  horn  consists  of  a cone  or  core  of  bone,  covered 
by  a sheath  of  true  horny  matter;  such  horns  are 
never  shed,  but  are  increased  by  annual  growths ; 
the  ruminants  possessing  them  are  called  u hollow 
horned;11  they  comprise  the  ox,  the  sheep,  the  goat, 
and  the  antelope,  and,  save  the  anomalously  horned 
giraffe,  no  other  kind  of  ruminants  but  these  exist 
in  South  Africa.  The  antelopes,  however,  have 
been  there  created  in  unusual  numbers,  and  in  a 
great  variety  of  specific  forms,  constituting  a series 
that  fills  up  the  wide  hiatus  between  the  goat  and 
the  ox,  and  on  which  the  ingenuity  of  the  splitting 
naturalist  has  been,  and  still  is  exercised  in  the  man- 
ufacture of  Sub-genera , and  the  imposition  thereon 
of  long  and  hard  names,  such  as  Catoblejoas , Aigo - 
ceros , Acronitus , Cephalojoas , etc. 

The  gemsbok  (antelope  oryx)  is  remarkable  for 
its  long  and  straight  horns,  with  which  it  some- 
times transfixes  the  lion,  whom  it  has  been  known 


THE  ELAND. 


133 


to  beat  off,  and  even  to  kill.  A larger  species  of 
antelope  is  that  which  is  called  the  “roan,11  or  bas- 
tard gemsbok.  But  the  blesbok  is  the  most  pecul- 
iar of  them  all.  It  is  of  a beautiful  violet  color, 
and  is  found  in  company  with  black  wildebeestes, 
and  springboks  in  countless  thousands,  on  the  vast 
green  plains  of  short,  crisp  sour  grass,  occupying 
a central  position  in  South  Africa.  Cattle  and 
horses  refuse  to  pasture  on  the  grassy  products  of 
these  plains,  which  afford  sustenance  to  myriads 
of  this  antelope,  whose  skin  emits  a most  delicious 
and  powerful  perfume  of  flowers  and  sweet-smelling 
herbs.  A secretion  issues  from  between  the  hoofs 
of  the  animal  which  has  likewise  a pleasing  odor. 
The  giant  antelope  of  the  tribe  is  that  species  which 
the  Dutch  Boers  call  eland,  that  is,  elk.  It  stands 
often  six  feet  high. 

The  power  of  these  ruminating  animals  to  endure 
thirst  or  to  abstain  from  water  varies  greatly  in  dif- 
ferent species,  and  depends  upon  the  organization 
of  the  second  cavity  of  their  complex  stomach,  call- 
ed by  anatomists  the  reticulum,  and  by  agricultur- 
ists the  “honeycomb  bag.11  In  some  the  cells  are 
extremely  shallow,  and  form  a mere  pattern  of  hex- 
agons by  raised  lines  on  the  surface ; in  the  other 
species  these  lines  rise  into  walls,  and  the  cells  are 
deep ; in  others  the  deep  cells  are  divided  into 
smaller  ones ; in  the  camel  tribe  they  are  expanded 
into  bags ; and  in  proportion  to  their  capacity  of 
retaining  fluid  is  the  ruminant's  power  of  abstain- 


134  THE  SPRINGBOK. — WONDERFUL  AGILITY. 

ing  from  drinking.  It  is  doubtful,  however,  wheth- 
er the  long- abstaining  kinds  of  antelopes  never 
drink ; this  is  certainly  not  the  case  with  the  eland, 
though  the  dew-drops  collected  in  the  morning’s 
grazing  may  suffice,  when  stored  up  in  the  cells  of 
the  reticulum,  for  the  day. 

All  these  graceful  and  agile  creatures  exist  in 
countless  numbers  on  the  fertile  flats  of  South  Af- 
rica. One  of  them,  the  springbok,  has  earned  its 
name  from  the  extraordinary  and  almost  perpen- 
dicular leaps  it  makes  when  hunted.  This  animal 
bounds  without  an  effort  to  a height  of  ten  or  twelve 
feet  at  one  spring,  clearing  from  twelve  to  fourteen 
feet  of  ground.*  It  appears  to  soar — to  be  suspend- 
ed for  a moment  in  the  air ; then,  touching  the 
ground,  to  make  another  dart,  or  rather  flight,  aloft, 
without  the  aid  of  wings,  by  the  elastic  springiness 
of  its  legs. 

To  resume  my  narrative.  After  roaming  about 
the  country  to  my  heart’s  content,  finding  that  the 
elephants  had  temporarily  absented  themselves,  I 
determined  to  give  up  shooting  for  the  present,  and 
to  devote  some  time  to  rest  and  rational  recreation. 
Accordingly,  I repaired  to  Otutundu,  situated  on 
the  Omuramba  Ua’  Matako,  where  there  was  abund- 
ance of  water  and  pasturage  for  my  cattle.  I had 
appointed  no  particular  locality  as  a rendezvous  for 
my  people,  now  daily  expected  with  the  wagon  from 
Otjimbingue.  I had  left  it  to  their  own  discretion 
to  strike  the  Omuramba  wherever  they  might  find 


A PAMARA  CARAVAN. 


135 


water  abundant.  But  Otutundu  was  as  likely  a 
place  to  find  them  as  any  other,  being  one  of  the 
chief  halting-points  for  wagons  from  the  southward 
toward  the  river  in  question.  My  party,  however, 
had  not,  on  my  reaching  that  place,  yet  arrived : 
and  having  waited  some  time  without  receiving  any 
news  of  their  proceedings  and  whereabout,  more- 
over thinking  it  just  possible  they  might  pass 
me  unnoticed,  I deemed  it  advisable  to  dispatch  a 
couple  of  men  to  inform  them  where  I was,  and  to 
bring  on  the  wagon.  Having  succeeded  at  the  same 
time  in  engaging  some  native  carriers,  I profited  by 
the  opportunity  to  forward  my  ivory  to  Barmen. 

While  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  wagon,  I was 
unexpectedly  joined  by  a Damara  trading-caravan 
destined  for  Ovambo  Land.  It  consisted  of  up- 
ward of  400  persons — of  men  and  women  in  about 
equal  numbers.  These  traders  brought  with  them 
a few  cattle  and  sheep,  but  their  chief  articles  of 
barter  were  strings  and  corselets,  with  beads  and 
buttons  made  from  the  shells  of  ostrich  eggs.  For 
this  female  gear,  which  was  much  in  demand  among 
the  Ovambo  women,  they  received  in  exchange  as- 
segais, hatchets,  dagger-knives,  iron  and  copper 
beads,  iron  anklets,  iron  bracelets,  etc.  But  in  the 
present  instance  I very  much  suspected  that  trade 
was  a mere  pretense — a cloak,  in  short,  to  veil  their 
real  object,  which  I had  no  doubt  was  to  spy  out 
the  country.  A portion  of  the  Damaras  constitu- 
ting the  caravan  were  retainers  of  J.  Afrikander. 


136 


AFRIKANDER  AND  HIS  FOLLOWERS. 


who  had  long  contemplated,  as  I well  knew,  a de- 
scent on  the  Ovambo,  and  was  only  waiting  for  a 
plausible  pretext  so  to  do.  The  other  members  of 
this  traveling  community  claimed  (under  one  of 
Katjiamoha's  sons)  a sort  of  independence,  though 
they  acknowledged  Afrikander  as  their  head.  The 
leaders  of  the  expedition  were  very  anxious  to  se- 
cure my  company,  but,  dreading  the  companionship 
of  such  a number  of  importunate  and  unscrupulous 
beggars,  I declined  the  honor.  In  order,  in  fact, 
the  more  effectually  to  shake  them  off,  I started  on 
a short  excursion  round  the  neighborhood,  and,  on 
my  return  to  camp,  was  pleased  to  find  that  the 
nuisance  had  disappeared.  I now  flattered  myself 
that  I was  quit  of  their  company  forever;  but  in 
this  hope  I was  deceived,  for  it  was  not  long  before 
I overtook  them. 

The  country  in  which  we  were  traveling  had  been 
represented  by  various  informants  as  excessively 
dry  to  the  eastward ; but  having  hitherto  found 
abundance  of  water  at  all  the  points  I had  visited 
along  the  Omuramba,  I reasonably  doubted  the  cor- 
rectness of  this  description,  and  determined  to  as- 
certain the  fact  for  myself.  A couple  of  days1  ex- 
ploration proved,  alas ! that  the  natives  had  in  this 
instance  spoken  the  truth.  The  disappointment 
was  great,  as  it  had  now  become  evident  that  I 
could  not,  with  any  certainty  of  success,  travel 
much  farther  until  the  rains  fell,  a period  still  far 
distant.  I determined,  however,  in  the  mean  time, 


EXCURSION  EASTWARD. 


137 


to  make  what  progress  I could.  If  I could  but  get 
as  far  as  Otjituo  (one  of  the  most  easterly  points 
reached  by  Mr.  Green  in  the  preceding  year),  some- 
thing would  be  gained.  I only  awaited  the  arrival 
of  the  absent  men  to  begin  the  operation. 

On  the  29th  of  August  the  wagon  at  last  ap- 
peared. It  was  now  about  seven  weeks  since  I had 
last  seen  it.  The  repairs  it  required,  being  much 
more  extensive  than  was  at  first  anticipated,  had 
occasioned  the  long  delay  in  its  reappearance.  I 
now  lost  as  little  time  as  possible  in  setting  out 
on  my  excursion  eastward.  Just  before  starting, 
Pereira  asked  permission  to  return  to  Otjimbingue, 
to  make  some  arrangements  for  his  wife,  who  was 
residing  at  that  station  ; and,  as  my  progress  could 
be  but  slow,  and  he  would  have  time  to  overtake 
me,  I granted  his  request.  I profited  by  this  op- 
portunity to  write  to  a few  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances, as  also  to  obtain  an  additional  stock  of  stores, 
etc.,  which  I expected  to  arrive  by  the  first  vessel 
at  Walwich  Bay.  Pereira  was  likewise  to  bring 
on  such  letters  and  papers  as  might  chance  to  be 
at  Otjimbingue  for  me.  We  both  left  Otutundu 
on  the  same  day  in  opposite  directions. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  second  day  from  our  de- 
parture we  reached  water,  i.  6.,  a small  collection 
of  dilapidated  pits  composed  of  quicksand,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Omuramba.  It  was  writh  the  ut- 
most difficulty  we  could  obtain  from  this  scanty 
source  sufficient  drink  for  our  cattle,  sheep,  etc. — 


138 


A TERRIBLE  TRAGEDY. 


a foretaste  of  the  troubles  henceforth  to  be  encoun- 
tered. 

A fine  old  bull-elephant  had  lately,  as  we  gath- 
ered from  his  footprints,  been  on  this  spot  to  quench 
his  thirst ; thinking  he  might  return,  or  that  some 
of  his  associates  might  visit  the  place,  I took  up  ait 
ambush  close  by  on  the  following  night ; but  my 
watch  was  in  vain.  Toward  morning,  two  lions 
hard  by  began  to  roar  most  lustily.  It  is  strange 
how  the  sound  affected  me.  I could  scarcely  be- 
lieve I was  the  same  being  who,  a few  years  before, 
would  bivouac  single-handed  in  the  very  midst  of 
these  animals,  scarcely  noticing  their  presence,  while 
now  their  mere  growl  made  me  nervous.  In  this 
instance,  however,  it  was  perhaps  not  so  much  to 
be  wondered  at,  as  it  was  in  this  very  neighborhood 
that  two  man-eaters  had,  in  the  previous  autumn, 
attacked  Green's  party  in  the  most  daring  manner, 
carrying  off  one  of  his  native  servants  from  the 
very  midst  of  his  camp. 

My  friend  having  kindly  placed  parts  of  his  jour- 
nals at  my  disposal,  I avail  myself  of  his  permis- 
sion to  introduce  here,  with  a few  trifling  altera- 
tions, the  particulars  of  this  tragical  event. 

“Oct.  21s£,  1858.  Last  night  a terrible  tragedy 
was  enacted  in  my  cattle-fold  by  two  daring  lions. 
The  night  was  intensely  dark,  with  occasional  rain  : 
and  fearing  lions  might  select  such  a night  to  sur- 
prise their  prey,  I sat  up  watching  until  a late  hour. 
I had  just  lain  down,  remarking  to  my  friend  that 


A MAN  CARRIED  OFF  BY  A LION. 


139 


in  case  of  a visit  from  these  brutes  the  oxen  would 
give  the  alarm,  when  on  a sudden  there  arose  an 
awful  scream,  followed  by  a death-like  groan,  such 
as  I shall  never  forget ; the  very  recollection  of  it 
chills  my  blood.  Two  lions  had  entered  the  in- 
closures, and  succeeded  in  carrying  away  a poor 
fellow,  whom  they  tore  to  pieces  and  devoured  with- 
in a short  distance  of  our  camp.  We  neither  could 
nor  dared  attempt  a rescue.  The  unfortunate  man 
was  lying  in  his  hut  with  his  wife  and  two  little 
children,  when  one  of  the  monsters  forced  his  way 
through  from  the  back,  and  seized  him,  at  the  same 
time  inflicting  two  wounds  upon  the  woman.  The 
poor  wretch,  in  his  hurried  exit,  had  evidently,  in 
endeavoring  to  save  himself,  laid  hold  of  the  poles 
of  the  hovel,  for  the  whole  back  part  of  the  tene- 
ment was  carried  away. 

“On  making  the  terrible  discovery,  a scene  en- 
sued which  defies  description,  and  which  must  have 
been  seen  to  be  fully  realized.  Of  course,  sleep 
was  out  of  the  question ; and  in  order  to  guard  as 
far  as  possible  against  a similar  occurrence,  we  kept 
up  a constant  discharge  of  fire-arms  during  the  re- 
mainder of  this  woeful  night. 

“This  morning,  as  soon  as  it  was  light  enough 
to  see,  we  took  up  the  spoor  of  the  lions,  and  with- 
in about  two  hundred  yards  of  the  kraal  discovered 
the  spot  where  it  was  evident  the  poor  man  had 
been  destroyed  and  devoured.  The  cincture  he  had 
worn  round  his  waist  was  alone  left  to  tell  of  his 


140  ANOTHER  VISIT  EROM  THE  MAN-EATERS. 

dreadful  fate,  though  in  following  up  the  trail  some 
parts  of  his  leg  hones  were  afterward  found.  We 
chased  the  brutes  for  about  twelve  miles,  when  we 
were  compelled  to  relinquish  the  pursuit  without 
having  obtained  a shot  at  them — without,  indeed, 
having  caught  more  than  one  glimpse  of  them  in 
the  distance.  I much  regretted  having  started 
without  my  horse,  which,  though  useless  as  a hunt- 
er, would  undoubtedly  have  taken  me  sufficiently 
near  to  get  a shot,  and  to  lead  the  pack  of  dogs  up 
to  the  enemy.1’ 

On  the  second  day  after  the  fatal  accident  Mr. 
Green  bid  farewell  to  the  dreadful  place,  thinking 
thereby  to  get  rid  of  his  terrible  foes ; but  they  fol- 
lowed on  his  spoor,  and  on  the  evening  of  the  third 
day  one  of  the  man-eaters  once  more  entered  his 
inclosures.  On  this  occasion  the  horrid  monster 
passed  by  the  oxen  without  molesting  them,  but, 
entering  the  sheep-kraal,  carried  off  one  of  its  in- 
mates, putting  the  remainder  to  flight.  “What 
with  the  screechings  of  the  terrified  women  and 
children,”  writes  my  friend,  “the  hallooings  of  the 
men,  the  rush  of  the  cattle  and  the  sheep,  fire- 
brands whizzing  through  the  air,  the  discharge  of 
fire-arms,  the  growls  of  the  lions,  and  other  dis- 
cordant noises,  the  scene  was  one  which  baffles  de- 
scription. I leveled  my  rifle  at  the  marauder  as  he 
was  passing  the  wagon,  not  above  five  paces  dis- 
tant, but  unfortunately  missed  fire,  and  when  I 
again  pulled  the  trigger  he  had  disappeared  in  the 


I 


\ 


r 


/ 


CHASE  OF  THE  WILD  BOAR, 


WILD  BOARS  AND  DOGS. 


143 


darkness.  This  lion  was  almost  immediately  joined 
by  his  companion,  when  they  set  up  a roaring  duet 
that  lasted,  with  very  little  intermission,  until  break 
of  day.  Continual  discharges  of  fire-arms  kept 
them  from  doing  farther  mischief.1’ 

Wild  boars  were  rather  numerous  along  the 
Omuramba,  and  frequently  afforded  us  excellent 
coursing.  The  speed  of  these  animals  is  surprising- 
ly great.  On  open  ground,  when  fairly  afoot,  I 
found  the  dogs  no  match  for  them,  and  yet  some 
of  my  curs  were  rather  swift  of  foot.  The  dogs, 
nevertheless,  dodged  them  at  times  successfully ; at 
others  they  came  willingly  to  bay.  They  fight  des- 
perately. I have  seen  wild  boars  individually  keep 
off  most  effectually  half  a dozen  fierce  assailants. 
I have  also  seen  them,  when  hotly  pursued,  attack 
and  severely  wound  their  pursuers.  We  killed  oc- 
casionally two,  and  even  three  of  them,  in  the  course 
of  a day.  When  young  and  fat  they  proved  capi- 
ta1 eating,  and  from  their  novelty  were  quite  a treat. 
Other  game  was  also  almost  daily  secured,  and  my 
party  gorged  to  their  hearts1  content  on  animal 
food.  Indeed,  we  had  plenty  to  spare  for  our  new 
friends,  the  Damaras  of  the  trading  caravan,  whom 
we  had  overtaken  in  the  neighborhood  of  Ombo- 
rombonga.  The  animals  we  usually  killed  were 
koodoos,  pallahs,  and  other  wild  creatures,  who  can 
abstain  long  from  drinking,  for  water  is  exceeding- 
ly scarce  in  this  country — so  much  so  that  it  was 
only  with  very  great  difficulty  we  could  obtain  a 
sufficiency  for  our  cattle,  etc. 


144 


I JOIN  THE  CARAVAN. 


I had  hoped  to  find  elephants  along  the  Omu- 
ramba,  as  during  the  previous  summer  they  had 
been  very  numerous  in  these  parts.  The  late  great 
drought,  however,  had  made  them  abandon  this  fa- 
vorite haunt,  to  muster,  it  was  reported,  in  great 
force  at  Omanbonde — Galton’s  magnificent  imagin- 
ary lake,  which,  on  our  visit  to  it  in  1850,  turned 
out  to  be  but  a large  dried-up  vley.  The  Damaras 
destined  for  Ovambo  Land  proposed  taking  this 
place  en  route  ; and,  having  previously  ascertained 
that  the  Omuramba  was  impracticable  for  travel- 
ing beyond  a certain  point,  I determined,  as  I had 
just  then  plenty  of  leisure  time,  to  accompany  them. 
I left  the  wagon  and  the  greater  portion  of  my  peo- 
ple at  a place  called  Othumbu  Yakausha,  and  on 
the  morning  of  the  16th  of  September  arrived  at 
Omanbonde,  or  Saresab,  as  it  is  called  in  the  Hot- 
tentot language. 


A RETROSPECT. 


145 


CHAPTER  IX. 

A Retrospect. — Omanbonde  a Sheet  of  Water. — Rhinoce- 
roses, Hippopotami,  and  other  large  Game  in  Abundance. 
— A beautiful  Landscape. — Elephants  numerous. — Fatigues 
and  Dangers  of  Elephant-hunting. — Hints  to  Elephant- 
hunters. — Extreme  Thirst. — Extreme  Exhaustion. — A Man 
killed  by  a Rhinoceros. — A Creeping  Stalk  of  a Rhinoceros. 
— Attack  of  a Rhinoceros. — An  adventurous  Chase. — Dis- 
covery of  the  Man  killed. — Accidental  Death. — Damara 
Grave,  and  Rites  of  Sepulture. — The  Feast  after  the  Fu- 
neral.— Lions  attack  a crippled  Rhinoceros. 

It  was  now  close  upon  eight  years  and  a half 
since  I first  visited  Omanbonde.  Eight  years  and 
a half!  the  fifth  part  of  man’s  life  in  its  full  vigor. 
What  was  I at  the  beginning  of  this  period,  and 
what  am  I now?  Where  are  the  once  ruddy  cheeks? 
Where  is  that  elasticity  of  foot  and  spirit  that  once 
made  me  laugh  at  hardships  and  dangers  ? Where 
that  giant  health  and  strength  that  enabled  me  to 
vie  with  the  natives  in  enduring  the  extremes  of 
heat  and  cold,  of  hunger,  thirst,  and  fatigue  ? Gone, 
gone — ay,  forever!  The  spirit  still  exists  unsub- 
dued, but,  what  with  constant  care,  anxiety,  and  ex- 
posure, the  power  of  performance  has  fled,  leaving 
but  the  shadow  of  my  former  self.  What  have  I 
accomplished  during  these  long  years?  What  is 
the  result  of  all  this  toil,  this  incessant  wear  and 

K 


146  OMANBONDE  A SHEET  OF  WATER. 

tear  of  body  and  mind ! The  answer,  if  candid, 
must  be  apparently  very  little.  This  is  a sad  ret- 
rospect of  the  fifth  part  of  a man’s  life,  while  still 
in  the  pride  of  manhood.  And  yet  I feel  that  I 
have  not  been  idle — that  I have  done  as  much  as 
any  man  under  similar  circumstances  could  have 
done ; and  so,  with  this  poor  consolation,  I must 
rest  content. 

On  my  first  visit  to  this  place  in  company  with 
Mr.  Galton,  Omanbonde  was,  as  I have  already 
mentioned,  nothing  more  than  a large  dried-up 
vley,  and  this  being  again  a year  of  severe  drought 
— at  least  to  judge  from  the  state  of  the  Omu- 
ramba — I had  expected  to  see  it  in  a similar  con- 
dition. Most  agreeably  was  I then  surprised  to 
find  a sheet  of  water  four  and  a half  miles  in  ex- 
tent, abounding  with  water-fowl,  and  largely  resort- 
ed to  by  a great  variety  of  game  and  wild  animals, 
such  as  elephants,  rhinoceroses,  elands,  koodoos, 
gemsboks,  zebras,  pallahs,  lions,  etc.  There  were 
no  hippopotami,  however,  though  plenty  of  u sea- 
room”  for  a dozen  or  two.  Besides  this  vley,  I 
discovered  another  in  the  immediate  neighborhood 
almost  rivaling  Omanbonde  in  size ; several  Bush- 
men villages  besprinkled  its  borders  or  banks,  which 
were  very  high,  but  sloping,  not  steep,  and  richly 
covered  with  a luxuriant  vegetation,  consisting 
chiefly  of  very  fine  groves  of  acacias,  and  the  gi- 
raffe thorn-tree,  just  bursting  forth  into  spring  life. 
In  the  background,  and  to  the  northward,  were  the 


AN  OASIS  IN  THE  DESERT. 


147 


broken  and  picturesque  limestone  ranges  of  Otjiro- 
kaku,  Otjomokojo,  etc.  Altogether  the  scene,  very 
pleasing,  was  rendered  perhaps  more  so  by  the  con- 
trast it  afforded  to  the  dry  and  parched  state  of  the 
country  immediately  surrounding  it.  To  me  it  was 
a real  oasis  in  the  desert,  and  I at  once  determined 
to  send  for  my  wagon,  and  settle  down  quietly  until 
Pereira’s  return  from  Otjimbingue. 

Elephants  being  rather  numerous  in  this  local- 
ity, I lost  no  time  in  beginning  operations  against 
them.  I took  advantage  of  the  moonlight  to  watch 
for  them  at  night,  and  followed  on  their  spoor  in 
the  daytime.  At  first  I was  unfortunate,  but  at 
last  met  with  considerable  success.  Some  of  my 
prizes  proved  splendid  specimens  of  the  giant  race, 
with  tusks  that  a Gordon  Cumming  would  have  be- 
held with  rapture.  I had  several  very  interesting, 
and  sometimes  dangerous  encounters  with  my  huge 
game ; but  having  already,  and  so  lately,  given  a 
series  of  adventures  with  these  animals,  I will  not 
at  present  enter  into  details,  but  merely  confine  my- 
self to  a few  general  remarks. 

Elephant-hunting  on  foot  and  in  the  hot  season 
is  most  laborious  and  harassing  work.  Indeed,  a 
long  experience  of  this  pursuit  has  brought  me  to 
the  conviction  that,  under  such  circumstances,  it  is 
far  more  trying  and  distressing  to  the  constitution 
than  the  most  severe  manual  labor.  It  was  rarely 
or  never  that  I could  track,  stalk,  and  kill  my  ele- 
phant, and  return  to  camp  in  less  than  ten  hours ; 


148 


FATIGUES  OF  ELEPHANT-HUNTING. 


more  frequently  it  occupied  twelve,  fourteen,  or  six- 
teen— nay,  I have  been  as  much  as  two  days  and  a 
night  on  one  hunt.  My  attendants  (native)  were 
at  times  so  completely  done  up — and  I generally 
nearly  as  much  so — that  on  their  return  home  they 
would  fall  asleep  where  they  stood,  alike  indifferent 
to  hunger,  to  the  chilling  night  air,  or  to  the  scorch- 
ing sun,  as  the  case  might  be.  I found  it  at  last 
necessary  to  divide  on  these  occasions  my  men  into 
two  parties,  each  party  taking  its  regular  turn  of 
duty.  It  was  not  hunger  or  fatigue,  however,  that 
was  so  trying  as  the  heat.  The  sun  u blazing  in  a 
sky  of  brass,”  heating  the  atmosphere  to  a state  of 
suffocation,  and  the  loose  sandy  soil  to  a blistering 
intensity,  made  u Water!  water!”  the  incessant  cry ; 
but  water— frequently  half  boiling — even  when  we 
could  carry  a decent  supply,  did  rarely  allay  our 
burning  thirst.  Indeed,  every  fresh  draught  seem- 
ed sometimes  merely  to  augment  our  ardent  crav- 
ing for  more,  which  often  almost  bordered  on  mad- 
ness. A giddiness,  a languor,  a sense  of  oppres- 
sion throughout  the  whole  system,  a choking  sen- 
sation in  the  throat,  difficulty  of  speech,  a fearful 
palpitation  of  the  heart,  and  a nightmare  feeling 
about  the  chest,  were  the  frequent  consequences  of 
our  excessive  fatigues.  For  my  own  part,  when 
once  fairly  done  up,  nothing  could  restore  me  to 
myself  but  quiet,  a plentiful  supply  of  cool  water, 
and,  above  all,  a good  wash.  I remember,  on  one 
particular  occasion,  when,  after  a long  running 


RHINOCEROSES. 


149 


chase,  I had  come  up  within  150  yards  of  an  ele- 
phant I had  seriously  wounded,  being  so  thorough- 
ly exhausted  as  to  be  actually  unable  to  advance  a 
few  paces  to  give  him  the  necessary  coup  de  grace. 
I was  obliged  to  rest  a few  minutes,  and  before  I 
could  recover  myself  the  brute  had  moved  off,  and 
was  lost  to  me  forever.  Words,  indeed,  can  con- 
vey no  adequate  idea  of  the  hardships  and  suf- 
ferings of  the  elephant-hunter  on  foot,  at  the  dry 
time  of  the  year,  in  regions  where  water  is  scarce. 
Experience  alone  can  enable  one  fully  to  under- 
stand the  severity  of  the  sport  in  which  he  takes  so 
much  delight. 

There  were  also  a good  many  rhinoceroses  at 
Omanbonde,  but  it  was  difficult  so  to  guard  so  large 
a sheet  of  water  as  to  obtain  a shot  at  them  when 
they  came  to  drink  at  night.  I managed,  however, 
to  knock  over  a few ; and  knowing  the  general  pre- 
dilection of  readers  for  adventures  ending  in  a trag- 
ical result,  I give  them  the  following  story,  or  rath- 
er narrative  of  an  event  witnessed  by  myself,  which 
will  show  the  great  ferocity  of  these  animals,  and 
the  dangers  attendant  on  attacking  them  without 
extreme  precaution. 

On  the  night  of  the  19th  of  September,  favored 
by  a beautiful  moon,  I had  taken  up  my  position 
alone,  as  usual,  in  a shallow  nullah,  or  natural  ditch, 
whence  I could  command  an  extensive  view.  At 
about  eleven  o’clock  a herd  of  elephants  approach- 
ed, and  just  as  the  leader  was  about  to  cross  the 


150  A CREEPING  “ STALK.” 

nullah  where  I was  stationed,  I fired.  The  bullet 
struck  the  beast  in  the  forepart  of  the  shoulder,  and 
I thought  I had  certainly  killed  him,  when,  with  a 
loud  shriek,  he  wheeled  abruptly  about,  and,  dash- 
ing' furiously  into  a neighboring  cover,  effected  his 
escape. 

All  was  now  again  silent ; and  after  waiting  pa- 
tiently a long  time  in  the  hope  of  some  other  game, 
and  getting  tired  at  last  of  the  useless  watch,  I 
made  for  my  camp.  I had  not,  however,  proceeded 
many  steps  before  I perceived,  to  my  delight,  two 
black  rhinoceroses  sauntering  leisurely  along  at  the 
farthest  westerly  extremity  of  the  marsh.  At  once 
dropping  my  spare  gun  and  my  blanket,  I threw 
myself  flat  on  the  ground,  and  began  creeping  to- 
ward my  unexpected  quarry.  The  locality,  unfor- 
tunately, did  not  afford  me  the  slightest  cover — not 
even  a tuft  of  grass — and  the  “stalk11  consequently 
became  one  of  difficulty  and  danger.  I had  pro- 
ceeded perhaps  about  twenty  paces,  when,  to  my 
annoyance  and  dismay,  I saw  the  rhinoceroses  turn 
abruptly  away  from  the  water  and  make  straight 
for  my  person.  On  making  the  discovery,  I am 
free  to  confess  that  my  first  impulse  was  to  run 
away ; but,  on  second  thoughts,  I resolved  to  abide 
their  approach.  Having  advanced  to  within  about 
sixty  yards  of  me  they  abruptly  halted,  eying  sus- 
piciously the  black  mass  before  them.  Their  sur- 
vey evidently  gave  them  but  little  satisfaction ; for, 
uttering  a snort,  and  tossing  their  unwieldy  heads 


A FURIOUS  CHARGE. 


151 


on  high,  they  retreated  a step  or  two  backward,  as 
if  preparing  for  a charge.  Seeing  this,  I determ- 
ined to  be  beforehand  with  my  antagonists ; and, 
notwithstanding  their  unfavorable  position,  I knelt 
down,  leveled  full  at  the  breast  of  the  foremost,  and 
pulled  the  trigger.  The  bullet  took  effect.  On  re- 
ceiving the  shot  the  brute  swerved  somewhat  to  the 
right,  and  then  dashed  wildly  forward,  followed  by 
his  companion.  I at  once  felt  convinced  that  one 
of  them  was  seriously,  if  not  mortally  wounded, 
and,  having  reloaded,  I followed  quickly  in  the  di- 
rection indicated  by  their  noisy  progress.  After  a 
few  minutes1  walk  I came  up  with  both ; they  were 
standing  quite  still,  evidently  listening.  But  on 
my  attempting  to  creep  up  to  them,  the  one  in  the 
rear  made  a furious  charge  toward  me,  and  I was 
heartily  glad  to  save  myself  by  a precipitate  flight. 
I had  nevertheless  ascertained,  beyond  doubt,  that 
the  wounded  beast  was  a complete  cripple,  and  an- 
ticipated no  difficulty  in  finishing  him  on  the  fol- 
lowing morning. 

Accordingly,  as  soon  as  it  was  light  enough  to 
continue  the  search  with  something  like  safety,  I 
started  in  pursuit  of  my  game,  accompanied  by  the 
very  best  of  my  Damara  attendants  (Kozengo),  and 
the  lad  Chookoroo,  to  carry  a spare  rifle.  A short 
walk  brought  us  to  the  spot  where  I had  left  the 
rhinoceroses  on  the  preceding  night.  Pools  of 
blood  marked  the  progress  of  the  one  whose  right 
fore-leg  was  evidently  smashed.  Knowing  the 


152 


A FLIGHT  AND  PURSUIT. 


great  ferocity  of  the  black  rhinoceros  when  wound- 
ed, I repeatedly  warned  my  attendants  to  be  on 
their  guard.  I had  done  so  for  the  last  time,  and 
we  had  just  emerged  from  some  low  brushwood, 
purposing  to  enter  a small  thorn  brake,  when,  lo ! 
the  monster  lying  on  his  side,  to  all  appearances 
quite  dead.  On  making  this  discovery,  Kozengo 
turned  smilingly  to  me,  and  ejaculated  “ Jacocca’1 
— dead.  “ Well, 11  I rejoined;  “but  take  care,  for 
there  was  another  rhinoceros  in  company  with  him 
last  night. 11 

I had  taken  a step  or  two  forward,  and  was  in 
some  measure  hidden  from  the  animal  by  a small 
tree,  when  suddenly  I observed  my  attendants  wheel 
about  and  retreat  precipitately.  Not  seeing  the 
cause  of  their  sudden  flight  (though  of  course  sus- 
pecting it),  I stood  my  ground,  when  all  at  once 
I caught  sight  of  the  brute  protruding  his  ugly 
head  within  a few  paces  of  my  person.  As  he  was 
coming  right  at  me,  I deemed  it,  under  the  circum- 
stances, imprudent  to  fire,  and  quickly  took  to  my 
heels.  He  followed  at  his  best  pace,  which  was 
really  very  rapid,  considering  his  crippled  condi- 
tion. In  my  hurried  flight  my  wide-awake  blew 
off  my  head,  and  fell  right  in  the  path  of  the  pur- 
suing beast,  who  pulled  up  abruptly  at  the  sight 
of  it.  Swift  as  thought,  I turned  on  my  heels  and 
fired,  but  fairly,  I believe,  missed,  for  the  monster 
at  once  dashed  forward  again,  snorting  violently. 
After  running  for  a short  distance  he  again  halted, 


A MAN  KILLED. 


153 


but  kept  looking  about  him  in  a very  restless  man- 
ner. I then  crept  cautiously  up  to  within  about 
100  yards  of  him,  and  just  as  for  a moment  he  ex- 
posed his  broadside  full  toward  me,  I fired.  He 
dropped  dead  to  the  shot. 

Having  ascertained  that  his  life  was  quite  ex- 
tinct, I hallooed  for  my  runaway  men,  but  receiving 
no  answer,  concluded  they  had  returned  to  camp. 
Quieted  by  this  thought,  I was  gazing  at  the  pros- 
trate animal,  when  all  at  once  my  attention  was 
drawn  to  a confused  noise  hard  by,  as  of  a number 
of  human  beings  discussing  some  exciting  event; 
and  in  a few  moments  I saw  several  natives,  head- 
ed by  Chookoroo  and  “Paadmaker11 — the  last  of 
whom  I had  sent  on  the  spoor  of  the  wounded  ele- 
phant—emerge  from  the  bushes.  The  lad  was  cry- 
ing bitterly,  while  Paadmaker  had  his  hands  tight- 
ly clasped  to  his  sides,  just  like  a man  seized  with 
sudden  pain.  My  first  impression  was  that  the 
man  had  been  hurt  by  the  elephant ; but,  alas ! his 
grief  arose  from  a far  more  serious  cause.  A 
dreadful  suspicion  then  took  possession  of  me,  and 
I hastily  exclaimed,  “Where’s  Kozengo ?”  “Dead, 
sir ! 11  was  the  solemn  and  startling  reply.  “Dead?11 
I repeated;  “impossible!  how ? why,  the  rhinoce- 
ros has  never  been  out  of  my  sight.  Besides,11 
addressing  myself  “I  have  heard  no  scream,  no 
groan,  nor  any  other  cry  of  distress.11  “Oh  yes,11 
sobbed  poor  Chookoroo,  “Kozengo  is  dead;  he  is 
killed  by  the  rhinoceros.11  “Show  me  the  man 


154 


ACCIDENTAL  DEATH. 


and  the  spot,”  I said,  as  I mechanically  turned  to 
follow  the  men.  We  had  not  far  to  go.  Within 
a stone’s  throw  I found  the  unfortunate  man  lying 
under  a bush,  stiff  and  motionless ! His  forehead 
was  split  in  two,  apparently  by  a single  thrust  of 
the  horn  of  the  infuriated  animal,  and  part  of  the 
dislocated  brains  was  mingling  with  the  dust.  His 
face,  which  was  slightly  turned  upward,  wore  the 
same  calm,  placid,  though  somewhat  heavy  expres- 
sion as  in  life.  For  a moment  or  so  I could  scarce- 
ly realize  the  terrible  event,  and,  involuntarily  ad- 
dressing the  corpse,  I muttered,  u Are  you  really 
dead,  Kozengo  ? Why  did  you  not  run  farther  off ; 
you  had  plenty  of  time  to  save  yourself?” 

44  So  as  I gazed  on  him,  I thought  or  said, 

4 Can  this  he  death  ? then  what  is  life  or  death  ? 

Speak!’  but  he  spoke  not : 4 Wake !’  but  still  he  slept.” 

We  found  this  poor  fellow,  as  I have  said,  lying 
under  a bush  with  his  head  close  upon  the  ground. 
Had  he  throughout  kept  this  position — and  prob- 
ably he  did  so — it  seems  impossible  that  the  rhi- 
noceros should  have  seen  or  smelt  him,  especially 
as  the  wind  was  in  the  man’s  favor.  It  is  my  be- 
lief, therefore,  that  the  beast  was  accidentally  pass- 
ing the  spot,  and  finding  his  victim  in  his  path,  had 
accidentally,  as  it  were,  destroyed  him.  The  ani- 
mal, from  the  moment  I fired  at  him  the  first  time 
until  his  death  from  the  second  shot,  had  never 
stopped  running.  The  accuracy  with  which  he  had 
hit  upon  the  unfortunate  man  was  consequently  the 


A DAMARA  INTERMENT. 


155 


more  remarkable.  If  the  man  had  willfully  placed 
himself  before  him,  and  said,  uNow  try  to  do  your 
best  to  hit  me  here  in  the  head,11  he  could  not  have 
succeeded  better.  There  was  one  poor  consolation 
in  Kozengo’s  untimely  end,  viz.,  he  had  died  instan- 
taneously. He  had  not  had  time  even  to  utter  a 
cry,  and  the  agony  of  death  was  over  the  instant  it 
was  felt. 

I staid  to  see  the  poor  man  interred.  A hole  for 
this  purpose  was  scooped  in  the  ground  between 
four  and  five  feet  deep,  about  as  long,  and  two  feet 
wide.  Under  this  again,  and  on  one  side,  a smaller 
hole  was  hollowed  out,  just  sufficiently  large  to  ad- 
mit of  the  corpse  in  a reclining  position.  This  was 
the  grave,  and  was  carefully  lined  with  fine  soft 
grass.  The  body  was  then  doubled  up,  the  head 
being  forced  between  the  legs,  and  there  secured  by 
means  of  part  of  the  enormous  coil  of  bandages 
which  encircled  the  man’s  waist,  in  the  usual  Da- 
mara  fashion.  His  face,  and  as  much  of  the  body 
as  was  practicable,  was  afterward  covered  over  with 
a sheep-skin,  forming  part  of  the  dress  of  the  wife 
of  the  deceased  man.  Thus  “shrouded,”  his  re- 
mains were  deposited  in  the  grave,  which  was  be- 
decked in  the  same  way  as  its  cavity  had  been  lined. 
Sand  was  then  shoveled  over  the  whole,  and  every 
particle  of  the  soil  removed  in  digging  the  sepulchre 
was  scrupulously  replaced,  or  rather  heaped  up  in 
a mound  over  it.  Even  the  sticks,  pieces  of  bark, 
etc. , made  use  of  in  the  operation,  were  left  on  the 


156 


ANIMAL  AND  HUMAN  GRIEF. 


spot.  And,  lastly,  a quantity  of  thorn-bushes  were 
stuck  in  a circle  round  the  tomb,  in  order  to  prevent 
wild  animals  from  disinterring  the  corpse.  The 
ceremony  being  concluded,  a particular  kind  of  root 
was  dug  up,  and,  being  divided  into  small  pieces, 
each  of  the  chief  by-standers  tasted  it — a charm, 
I presumed,  against  death  or  injury  from  the  de- 
parted. 

A singular  and  affecting  incident  occurred  just 
as  the  last  shovelful  of  earth  was  thrown  upon  the 
grave.  A small  dog  belonging  to  the  deceased 
made  at  this  moment  his  appearance ; he  smelt 
first  all  round  the  mound  beneath  which  rested  the 
remains  of  his  late  master,  then,  wagging  his  tail, 
looked  wistfully  up  into  my  face  with  an  expres- 
sion which  said,  u What  have  you  done  with  him?” 

Kozengo’s  wife,  who  had  been  informed  of  her 
sad  bereavement,  attended  the  funeral,  and  exhib- 
ited the  most  heart-rending  sorrow — at  least  out- 
wardly. The  wailing  was  of  a most  melancholy 
description — a sort  of  chanting,  with  a peculiar  (al- 
most hysterical)  ejaculation  after  each  intonation. 
Poor  woman!  I heartily  sympathized  with  her, 
and  I am  sure  I was  the  only  person  present  of  all 
the  numerous  assembly  (by  this  time  all  the  Da- 
maras  had  reached  the  spot)  who  at  all  felt  for  her 
lonely  condition.  Many  a laugh  was  heard,  but  no 
one  looked  sad.  No  one  asked  or  cared  about  the 
man,  but  each  and  all  made  anxious  inquiries  after 
the  rhinoceros — such  is  the  life  of  barbarians! 


DISAPPOINTED  LIONS, 


LIONS  ATTACK  THE  RHINOCEROS.  159 

Oh,  ye  sentimentalists  of  the  Rousseau  school — for  <4* 

some  such  still  remain — witness  what  I have  wit- 
nessed, and  do  witness  daily,  and  you  will  soon 
cease  to  envy  and  praise  the  life  of  savages ! 

I have  omitted  to  notice  a rather  remarkable 
circumstance  connected  with  this  rhinoceros  hunt. 

While  following  up  the  trail  of  the  animal  we  came 
to  a spot  where  one  or  two  lions,  probably  taking 
advantage  of  his  crippled  condition,  had  evidently 
attacked  him,  and,  after  a desperate  scuffle,  had  been 
compelled  to  beat  a precipitate  retreat — perhaps 
chiefly  through  the  assistance  of  his  companion, 
who  had  evidently  only  left  him  when  he  could 
walk  no  farther.  This  is  the  sole  instance  I know 
of  lions  daring  to  attack  rhinoceroses ; though  I 
have  seen  it  stated  in  print  that  not  only  will  they 
assail,  but  can  master  the  horned  monster. 


160 


A TROOP  OP  LIONS. 


CHAPTER  X. 

A Troop  of  Lions. — A Watch  by  Night. — Wild  Animals  at  a 
Yley. — A Duel  between  a Lion  and  Lion-hunter. — Dogs 
and  Damaras. — An  exciting  hunting  Scene. — One  hundred 
Damaras  in  the  Field.— Another  wounded  Lion. — Dinner 
on  Beefsteak  au  Lion  and  Hump  de  Rhinoceros. — Lion’s 
Flesh  very  palatable. — The  Ovambo  Caravan  still  in  the 
Neighborhood. — The  Feeding-time  of  the  Ovambos  after  a 
Day’s  successful  Sport. — A disgusting  Spectacle. — Change 
of  Route. — A Bevy  of  black  Damsels. — Advice  about  Mar- 
riage.— A Road  practicable  for  the  Wagon. — News  from 
Europe.  — How  I dispose  of  my  Ivory. — A Collection  of 
Insects  and  Birds.  — Swifts  and  Swallows. — Tremendous 
Storms  of  Thunder  and  Lightning. — The  peculiar  Beauty 
of  the  Sunsets. 

A pew  nights  after  the  tragical  event  above  re- 
corded I was  again  at  my  post  of  observation  at  the 
water,  when  I encountered  a troop  of  lions  under 
circumstances  which  exhibited  these  royal  beasts  in 
a somewhat  new  light. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  night  I had  observed 
several  animals  gliding  noiselessly  to  the  water, 
but  considerably  out  of  range.  Not  being  able  to 
make  out  what  they  were,  I slipped  quietly  out  of 
the  skarm,  and  approached  the  spot  where  they 
were  drinking.  I got,  from  the  nature  of  the 
ground,  pretty  close  to  them  unperceived,  yet  was 


A CHALLENGE. 


161 


still  unable  to  name  them.  From  the  sound  of 
lapping  at  the  water,  I concluded  that  I had  hyenas 
before  me,  and  as  one  of  three  animals  was  leaving 
the  vley  I fired.  The  bullet  took  effect,  and,  utter- 
ing a growl,  the  beast  disappeared.  Whereupon, 
“Surely  not  lions!”  I muttered  to  myself.  The 
remaining  two  had  in  the  mean  time  also  ceased 
drinking,  and  were  moving  lazily  away,  when  a low 
shrill  whistle  from  me  at  once  arrested  their  steps. 
I leveled  and  pulled  the  trigger ; in  vain  this  time, 
the  ball  went  too  high — in  short,  right  over  the  ob- 
ject aimed  at.  The  animal  did  not,  however,  budge 
an  inch,  and  I now  clearly  saw  a lion.  Rising  to 
my  feet,  I shouted,  in  order  to  drive  him  off;  but 
he  remained  stationary.  I did  not  at  all  like  his 
appearance,  and  hastened  at  once  back  to  my  am- 
bush to  reload.  When  again  quite  ready  and  on 
the  look-out  for  him,  he  was  gone ; but  almost  im- 
mediately afterward  two  others  resembling  the  first 
approached  the  water.  Having  drunk  their  fill, 
they  were  about  to  retrace  their  steps,  when  sud- 
denly— my  person  being  purposely  exposed  to  view 
— -they  seemed  to  espy  me,  and  eying  me  for  a few 
seconds,  one — the  largest — made  straight  for  my 
skarm.  This  seemed  strange;  but,  to  make  quite 
sure  of  his  intentions,  I stood  up,  and  when  the 
brute  was  within  about  forty  yards  of  me,  shouted. 
To  my  utter  surprise,  instead  of  moving  off  he  came 
quickly  on,  till  at  a distance  of  twenty-five  paces  or 
thereabouts  he  suddenly  squatted,  evidently  intend- 

L 


i 


162 


A DUEL. 


ing  to  spring  on  me.  “Nay,  old  fellow,1’  I mut- 
tered to  myself,  “if  that’s  the  ticket,  I will  be  even 
with  you and,  dropping  the  double-barreled  gun 
which  I held  in  my  hands  at  the  moment,  I seized 
the  elephant  rifle,  leveled,  took  a very  steady  aim 
at  his  chest,  and  fired.  The  bullet  sped  true,  and  I 
thought  I had  killed  him  outright ; but  not  so,  for 
after  rolling  over  two  or  three  times,  he  scrambled 
up  and  decamped.  However,  I had  no  doubt  in  my 
own  mind  that  the  wound  would  prove  fatal.  On 
receiving  the  shot  he  gave  a startling  growl,  and  in 
making  his  escape  was  joined  by  his  associate,  who 
had,  while  the  duel  was  pending,  remained  a passive 
spectator. 

At  break  of  day,  taking  up  the  spoor  of  the 
wounded  animal,  I had  only  proceeded  about  two 
hundred  yards  when  the  dogs  gave  tongue  at  a 
small  bush,  where  immediately  afterward  I saw  a 
stately  lion  rise  to  his  feet  and  limp  forward  two 
or  three  paces.  But  the  exertion  was  too  much 
for  him ; he  halted,  and,  turning  half  round,  looked 
fiercely  at  his  assailants.  Not  being  myself  in  a 
favorable  position,  I shouted  to  my  men  to  fire. 
Kamapjie  responded  to  the  call,  and  the  lion  drop- 
ped to  rise  no  more.  In  an  instant  the  dogs  were 
clinging  to  his  ears,  throat,  head,  etc.  The  brute, 
still  alive,  grappled  bravely  with  his  assailants. 
The  next  moment  half  a dozen  assegais  were  quiv- 
ering in  his  body,  and  a hundred  more  or  so  would 
soon  have  been  similarly  sheathed  had  I not  prompt- 


v 


DEATH  OF  A LION. 


DOGS  AND  DAMARAS. 


165 


ly  ridden  up  and  stopped  the  Damaras,  who  were 
rushing  in  upon  the  prostrate  foe  like  maniacs.  I 
wished  the  dogs  to  finish  him,  and  they  did  so ; but 
three  of  the  best  were  wounded  in  the  scuffle,  only 
one,  however,  at  all  seriously.  The  aim  which  had 
killed  this  lion  had  been  most  perfect.  The  bullet 
had  entered  exactly  the  centre  of  his  chest,  and, 
traversing  the  entire  length  of  his  body,  had  taken 
its  egress  through  the  right  hind  quarter.  It  was 
really,  therefore,  to  me  a matter  of  great  surprise 
that  the  beast  had  survived  the  wound  so  long. 

This  was  decidedly  the  most  exciting  hunting 
scene  I have  ever  witnessed.  Besides  my  own  peo- 
ple, more  than  one  hundred  Damaras  were  in  the 
field,  vociferating  frightfully,  and  waving  and  dart- 
ing their  ox-tail  plumaged  assegais  with  a ferocity 
and  earnestness  that  would  have  made  a stranger 
think  they  were  preparing  for  some  dreadful  bat- 
tle. Nearly  as  many  more — to  say  nothing  of  a 
host  of  women  and  children — were  seen  hastening 
toward  us  from  the  camp,  which  was  in  full  view. 
Indeed,  before  the  lion  had  breathed  his  last,  more 
than  three  hundred  human  beings  were  on  the  spot. 

The  lion,  a male,  proved  a first-rate  prize,  in  ex- 
cellent condition,  and  of  giant  proportions,  but  pos- 
sessing scarcely  any  mane.  His  head  was  very 
beautiful — a perfect  picture.  Having  given  orders 
about  the  disposal  of  him,  we  took  up  the  trail  of 
the  other  lion,  who,  to  judge  from  the  quantity  of 
blood  lost,  must  have  been  seriously  wounded. 


166  BEEFSTEAK  AU  LION — HUMP  DE  RHINOCEROS. 

Tracking  him  for  about  half  a mile,  we  came  up 
with  him  in  a dense  brake ; but  the  Damaras  kept 
up  such  a riotous  noise  that  the  few  dogs  left  with 
us — the  greater  portion  having  returned  home — 
were  insufficient  to  bring  him  to  bay,  so  he  man- 
aged to  escape.  Once,  indeed,  we  caught  sight  of 
him  as  he  was  crossing  a small  opening,  but  here, 
the  bushes  becoming  thicker  than  ever,  we  left  him. 
The  chase  was  a short  one,  but  exceedingly  exciting. 
Had  I been  alone,  i.  e .,  with  merely  my  own  peo- 
ple about  me,  it  is  very  likely  I should  have  suc- 
ceeded in  dispatching  this  brute  too,  apparently  a 
she-lion  of  huge  stature. 

That  day  I dined  on  beefsteak  au  lion  and  hump 
de  rhinoceros , done  under  the  ashes.  On  sitting 
down  to  this  singular  meal,  I could  not  help  re- 
marking, partly  addressing  the  cook  and  partly 
myself,  u I wonder  what  her  majesty  the  Queen 
of  England  would  say  to  such  fare?11  uOh,  what 
a beast  the  man  must  be!11  I had  never  before 
partaken  of  lion’s  flesh,  but  found  it  very  palatable 
and  juicy,  not  unlike  veal,  and  very  white.  Rhi- 
noceros hump  was  also  a frequent  and  favorite  dish 
of  mine. 

The  Ovambo  caravan  alluded  to  in  the  preced- 
ing pages  were  still  sojourning  in  my  neighbor- 
hood. At  first  they  behaved  themselves  with  due 
decorum,  but,  on  a closer  acquaintance,  proved  a 
perfect  nuisance,  more  especially  when  feeding  (not 
dining)  time  came.  Very  often,  on  killing  game,  I 


SAVAGES  FEEDING. 


167 


had  to  fight  for  morsels  of  it ; nay,  I was  at  times 
necessitated  to  threaten  my  black  friends  with  the 
gun  before  I could  obtain  needful  food.  The  scenes 
that  sometimes  presented  themselves  on  these  oc- 
casions were  truly  disgusting.  To  say  nothing  of 
the  screams,  vociferations,  curses,  etc.,  which  were 
deafening,  assegai  stabs  and  knobkierie  blows  were 
administered  indiscriminately  and  remorselessly, 
all  for  the  sake  of  a lump  of  meat.  J ust  endeavor, 
reader,  to  imagine  from  one  to  two  hundred  starv- 
ing and  ferocious  dogs  laying  hold  of  a carcass,  each 
tearing  it  away  in  his  own  particular  direction,  at 
the  same  time  biting  and  snarling  incessantly  at 
his  neighbor,  and  you  will  have  a faint  notion  of 
the  beastly  scrambles  I allude  to.  I have  seen 
human  blood  flow  as  freely  at  these  feeds  as  had 
that  of  the  animal  we  were  devouring.  The  sacred 
ties  of  kindred  and  friendship  were  totally  lost 
sight  of  in  the  all-absorbing  anticipation  of  a gorge. 
All  the  revolting  qualities  of  man  in  a barbarous 
condition  were  brought  on  these  occasions  out  into 
startling  relief.  Human  nature  seemed  lower  than 
that  of  the  brute  creation,  while  at  the  same  time 
almost  diabolical. 

In  order  finally  to  accomplish  the  object  of  the 
expedition,  it  had  been  my  intention  to  follow  up 
the  Oinuramba  Ua1  Matako  as  far  as  Otjituo,  thence 
across  to  the  Omuramba  U’Ovambo,  by  which 
means  I trusted  to  reach  the  Cunene.  But,  on 
looking  at  the  map  one  day,  it  became  evident  to 


168 


EXCURSION  WITH  THE  CARAVAN. 


me  that  the  more  direct  route  would  be  to  go 
straight  from  Omanbonde  to  Okamabuti  (Galton’s 
most  easterly  point),  and  thence  on  to  the  last- 
named  water-course.  By  keeping  at  first  to  the 
westward  of  Galton’s  route,  moreover  — merely 
crossing  it  at  Okamabuti — new  ground  would  be 
explored,  and  thus  two  objects  gained. 

The  Damara  caravan  (whose  leaders  I had  some 
difficulty  in  persuading  that  I had  no  intention  of 
visiting  those  scoundrels  the  Ovambo)  at  last  de- 
termined to  move  ahead ; and  having  learned  that 
they  purposed  crossing  the  eastern  extremity  of 
the  Otjirokaku  Mountains,  I determined  to  accom- 
pany them  part  of  the  way,  thinking  I might  there- 
by learn  something  to  my  advantage.  According- 
ly, packing  a few  necessaries  on  my  donkeys,  I set 
out  on  the  25th  of  September,  accompanied  by  a 
few  native  attendants. 

Though  the  caravan  had  started  an  hour  or  two 
before  me,  I overtook  it  just  as  its  inmates  were 
emerging  from  dense  thickets  on  the  banks  of  Opon- 
dongaula,  the  name  of  the  water  situated  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Omanbonde.  The  motley  ranks 
of  this  grotesque  company,  winding  leisurely  along 
the  sinuosities  of  the  reed  and  rush-covered  shores 
of  the  tank,  furnished  a scene  exceedingly  pleasing 
and  picturesque. 

I had,  moreover,  an  excellent  opportunity  of  in- 
specting and  appreciating  the  charms  of  an  im- 
mense and  varied  bevy  of  black  damsels,  who  were 


A BEVY  OF  BLACK  DAMSELS. 


169 


tripping  along  the  greensward — for  here  was  a ver- 
itable sward — either  in  single  files  or  in  little  knots, 
some  carrying  immense  bundles  on  their  heads,  Gre- 
cian fashion,  while  others  (the  aristocracy  of  the 
caravan)  sauntered  forward  with  an  air  of  indolent 
and  swaggering  superiority.  As  I rode  slowly 
through  their  yielding  and  attractive  ranks,  I did 
my  best  to  win  a smile  here  and  an  affectionate 
glance  there ; but,  sad  to  relate,  I made  but  a slight 
impression  on  the  “fair”  assemblage,  who  declared 
with  great  simplicity  that,  had  my  person  only  Ween 
black , I might  have  passed  muster;  hinting  also 
delicately — of  course,  ladies,  whether  black  or  white, 
are  always  delicate-r-that  a little  less  dress , and  a 
slight  varnish  of  fat  and  ochre — pointing  to  their 
own  perfumed  and  greasy — oh  pardon,  ye  fair,  the 
obsolete  term — bodies,  would  greatly  improve  my 
appearance.  Charming  flatterers!  For  once  in 
my  life  I regretted  having  a Caucasian  origin  and 
a clean  shirt. 

“Charles ,”  once  wrote  Sir  Thomas to 

my  father,  “should  marry  by  all  means;  and  if  he 
has  not  a white  wife  in  view,  who  would  be  sick 
one  half  the  year  and  a burden  to  him  the  other, 
let  him  take  to  himself  a black  princess  with  prop- 
erty of  her  own. 11  Sir  Thomas was  evident- 

ly a practical  man,  and  doubtless  a philanthropist. 
“His  suggestion,  he  might  think,  would  not  only 
be  good  for  Charles,  but  an  infusion  of  fresh  blood 
into  the  sluggish  veins  of  the  African  would,11  the 


170 


MATRIMONIAL  SPECULATIONS. 


baronet  probably  argued,  “be  a great  improvement 
on  the  negro  type — might  lay,  indeed,  the  founda- 
tion of  an  Anglo-Saxon  African  negro-colony  in 
the  interior  of  a benighted  continent,  and  possibly 
do  more  toward  civilizing  its  barbarian  natives  than 
all  the  influence  exerted  by  zealous  missionaries, 
enterprising  travelers,  adventurous  traders,  or  dar- 
ing Nimrods.”  I am  free  to  confess  that  from  this 

point  of  view  there  is  much  in  Sir  Thomas ’s 

recommendation  to  tempt  and  tickle  the  fancy.  Yet 
I tHbught,  in  the  words  of  Clapperton — that  prince 
of  the  middle  or  romantic  travelers’  age — “ it  would 
be  a pretty  end  of  my  travels  to  set  up  with  a tun- 
butt  for  a queen.” 

On  the  second  day  after  leaving  Omanbonde  I 
reached  a fine  fountain  called  Otjomokojo,  situated 
at  the  foot  of  the  mountains  of  the  same  name. 
Two  days  later  found  me  at  a small  collection  of 
wells,  to  which  the  Damaras  gave  the  name  Otji- 
hejnenne.  These  wells  were  scooped  out  of  the 
limestone,  the  prevailing  rock  of  the  surrounding 
country.  From  Otjihejnenne,  the  Damara  caravan 
proceeded  too  much  to  the  westward  to  suit  my 
purpose ; finding,  therefore,  that  a longer  stay  in 
their  company  would  only  be  waste  of  time,  I bade 
them  farewell,  and  forthwith  retraced  my  steps  to 
Omanbonde,  which  place  I reached  in  safety,  after 
an  absence  of  five  days,  having  ascertained  during 
that  time  that  the  country,  so  far  as  I went,  was  in 
every  respect  practicable  for  wagons,  which  being 


IVORY. 


171 


precisely  what  I wanted  to  know,  the  object  of  this 
excursion  was  now  fully  attained. 

Elephants  having,  at  least  in  a great  measure, 
abandoned  Omanbonde,  I gave  up  hunting,  and  de- 
voted my  spare  time  to  exploring  the  marsh,  in 
search  of  specimens  chiefly,  but  also  to  obtain  oc- 
casional supplies  of  game  for  the  larder.  Snipes 
and  ducks  were  rather  plentiful.  The  former  I 
had  never  before  met  with  in  any  part  of  the  wide 
tracts  I had  explored.  There  were  likewise  sev- 
eral species  of  water-hens,  rails,  plovers,  etc.,  and  I 
occasionally  bagged  a hawk  or  a marsh-hamer. 

On  the  30th  of  October  Pereira  joined  me.  He 
brought  me  a parcel  of  European  letters,  together 
with  other  news,  which  I need  scarcely  say  were 
highly  welcome. 

I had  by  this  time  collected  a considerable  quan- 
tity of  valuable  ivory,  and  being  anxious  to  deposit 
it  in  some  place  of  security,  I tried  to  induce  sev- 
eral of  the  numerous  travelers  at  Ovatjimba,  who 
had,  from  time  to  time,  flocked  to  Omanbonde  'in 
search  of  elephants,  to  take  this  treasure  to  Barmen. 
They  seemed  at  first  willing  to  accept  the  charge, 
but  at  the  eleventh  hour  left  me  in  the  lurch.  I 
therefore,  deeming  it  unsafe  to  leave  property  of  so 
much  value  concealed  at  Omanbonde,  found  it  nec- 
essary to  turn  Pereira’s  face  once  more  toward 
Otjimbingue.  I was  perfectly  well  aware  that  no 
rain  in  any  considerable  quantity  would  fall  for  at 
least  two  months,  and  as  the  journey  to  and  from 


172 


INSECT  LIFE. 


the  place  in  question  could  easily  be  accomplished 
within  that  period,  nothing  would  be  lost,  but  much 
might  be  gained  by  the  mission. 

As  I was  now  probably  on  my  last  exploring 
excursion  in  Southwestern  Africa,  I was  anxious, 
in  addition  to  birds,  etc.,  to  make  a good  collection 
of  insects ; hitherto  my  success  in  this  respect  had 
been  on  a very  limited  scale.  A sprinkling  of  rain, 
however,  having  fallen  in  the  month  of  November, 
the  young  grass,  plants,  bushes,  etc.,  sprouted  rap- 
idly out,  affording  appropriate  food  to  insects, 
which,  the  instant  they  are  so  provided  for,  spring 
into  existence  as  if  by  magic.  More  of  the  minia- 
ture creation  may  be  seen  in  an  hour’s  time,  after  a 
shower  of  rain,  than  during  months  of  dry  weather ; 
and  nothing,  I imagine,  conveys  to  the  mind  so 
forcible  a conviction  of  the  stupendous  power  and 
unfathomable  wisdom  of  the  Creator  as  an  insight 
into  the  myriad  forms  of  insect  life.  What  com- 
pleteness, what  diminutiveness ! what  shapes,  what 
beauty!  what  elegance,  what  solidity!  He  who 
can  rightly  read,  appreciate,  and  interpret  Nature’s 
small  print,  will  find  therein  an  inexhaustible  source 
of  enjoyment  and  recreation  ; but  he  may  find  him- 
self also  almost  pinned  down  to  the  microscope, 
and  by  magnifying  the  little  may  become  incapable 
of  contemplating  the  great. 

I saw  much  during  my  stay  at  Omanbonde  to 
amuse  and  instruct  me.  “A  short  time  before 
sunset,  myriads  of  winged  termites  are  there  seen 


THUNDER-STORMS. 


173 


issuing  every  where  out  of  the  ground,  and  after 
frisking  about  for  a few  minutes  in  the  pleasant 
evening  breeze,  dropping  helplessly  to  the  earth 
again,  to  become  instantly  a prey  to  their  enemies 
— a species  of  large  brown  ant,  who  in  this  locality 
also  appear  contemporary  with  their  congeners.” 
Toward  the  end  of  November  immense  flocks  of 
swifts  and  swallows  appeared.  For  several  con- 
secutive days  they  passed  over  our  camp  just  be- 
fore sunset  in  such  numbers  as  literally  to  darken 
the  sky.  Sometimes  these  u flights”  would  extend 
in  one  direct  line  for  about  one  and  a half  to  two 
miles,  covering,  at  the  same  time,  a space  several 
hundred  feet  broad,  and  apparently  as  many  deep. 

December  set  in  rainy,  with  thunder  and  light- 
ning at  times  truly  appalling ; and  as  part  of  our 
camp  was  formed  under  a wide-spreading  kamel 
thorn-tree,  I was  kept  in  constant  alarm,  as  this 
kind  of  tree  is  a powerful  conductor  of  the  electric 
fluid.  Any  anxiety  I might  suffer  on  this  account 
was,  however,  richly  compensated  by  the  beautiful 
and  striking  skyscapes  and  atmospheric  corusca- 
tions attendant  on  these  storms. 

u Dec.  3 d.  Showe’ry  day.  What  a wonderful  ef- 
fect the  accidents  of  light  and  shade  have  on  a land- 
scape ! The  Otjirokaku  Mountains  look  quite 
grand  at  times,  indeed  almost  Alpine,  and  yet  their 
average  height  above  the  plain  can  not  exceed  1000 
feet.  Although  twenty  miles  off,  their  rugged  and 
smooth  surfaces  can  occasionally  be  clearly  distin- 


174 


BEAUTIFUL  SUNSETS. 


guished,  nay,  the  very  slopes  of  the  rock  ledges  may 
be  sometimes  discerned.  The  wonderful  transpar- 
ency of  the  atmosphere  at  certain  periods  of  the 
year  in  this  country,  now  for  instance,  admits  of 
landscapes  being  seen  at  an  immense  distance,  while 
in  the  hot  season,  objects  comparatively  near  look 
dim  and  indistinct,  and  at  times  are  altogether  in- 
discernible. 

“The  sunsets  generally  very  lovely,  sometimes 
of  a very  peculiar  beauty.  Once  I remember,  just 
after  the  sun  had  disappeared,  the  whole  region  of 
the  sky  near  and  on  the  verge  of  the  horizon  as- 
suming exactly  the  resemblance  of  a rainbow ; there 
were  all  the  colors  composing  the  glorious  arch,  but 
the  “stripes”  were  three  times  as  broad  as  those 
seen  in  the  bow  of  promise,  and  ran  in  horizontal 
instead  of  vertical  lines,  or  rather  layers.  It  was  a 
strangely  beautiful  pageant.” — Author's  Journal . 


A CARAVAN  FORBIDDEN  TO  ENTER  ONDONGA.  175 


CHAPTER  XL 

The  Damara  Caravan  forbidden  by  Chipanga,  the  successor  of 
Nangoro,  to  enter  Ondonga. — The  Ovambo’s  superstitious 
Dread  of  Fire-arms. — The  Party  belonging  to  the  Caravan 
steal  the  Cattle  and  Property  of  the  Ovambo. — A Descent 
made  upon  the  Ovambuenge  by  the  Makololo. — A Guide 
with  a Harem  of  Wives. — A Battle  between  two  Bushmen 
Werfts. — Dr.  Livingstone’s  Opinion  that  Bushmen  never 
quarrel  about  Women. — A Native  Woman  wounded  by 
poisoned  Arrows. — I endeavor  to  capture  the  Offenders. — 
Two  of  their  Party  made  Prisoners. — Not  guilty. — Effect 
their  Escape. 

The  Damara  caravan,  alluded  to  in  the  last  chap- 
ter, returned  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  to  Oman- 
bonde.  To  my  surprise,  I learned  that  they  had 
not  succeeded  in  getting  farther  than  to  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Etosha.  Here  they  had  encountered 
one  of  the  Ovambo  outposts,  the  occupants  of 
which  had  peremptorily  forbidden  them  to  proceed 
farther.  To  remove  this  unforeseen  hinderance, 
messengers  were  dispatched  to  the  paramount  chief 
of  the  tribe,  Chipanga,  the  successor  of  Nangoro. 
The  answer  they  received  was  a decided  negative. 
To  their  repeated  entreaties  to  be  allowed  to  enter 
Ondonga,  he  invariably  replied,  “On  no  condition 
whatever.1’ 

In  the  interchange  of  messages  that  ensued,  much 


176 


DREAD  OE  EIRE- ARMS. 


was  also  said  about  white  men.  Indeed,  ever  since 
Messrs.  Green  and  Hahn’s  engagement  with  the 
Ovambo,  Chipanga  had  lived  in  constant  trepida- 
tion. On  the  mere  report  of  my  being  at  Oman- 
bonde,  he  fled  precipitately  to  a distant  Bushman 
village,  there  to  hide  himself,  it  was  said,  till  as- 
sured of  my  absence  from  the  neighborhood.  This 
barbarian  not  only  believed  that  white  men’s  guns 
were  invincible,  but  also  entertained  the  notion 
that,  without  any  weapons,  by  merely  looking  at  a 
person,  a white  man  could  cause  his  death.  “If 
not,”  the  brave  chief  was  heard  to  exclaim,  “how 
was  it  that  Nangoro  was  killed  by  the  mere  report 
of  fire-arms  ?” 

The  Ovambo  never  seemed  thoroughly  to  under- 
stand the  dreadful  efficacy  of  these  weapons  until 
their  disastrous  defeat  by  Green  and  his  party.  It 
would  appear  that  their  previous  fearlessness  arose 
in  a great  measure  from  merely  seeing,  when  fired, 
the  flash  of  the  discharged  gun,  and  not  the  missile . 
“When  we  throw  an  assegai  or  shoot  an  arrow, 
we  see  it  going  through  the  air,”  said  they,  “but 
with  your  rifles  nothing  but  a harmless  fire  is  per- 
ceived.” From  a supreme  contempt  of  our  arms, 
they  had  now,  however,  gone  to  the  other  extreme, 
and  had  a most  exaggerated  notion  of  their  fearful 
destructiveness. 

To  avenge  themselves  on  the  Ovambo  for  their 
refusal  to  let  the  travelers  pass  through  their  coun- 
try, a party  belonging  to  the  caravan,  under  one  of 


A ROB  ROY  ROBBERY. 


177 


Katjamaha’s  sons,  attacked  and  carried  off  all  the 
cattle  from  the  obnoxious  post.  The  pretended 
traders  more  immediately  attached  to  the  service 
of  Jonker  Afrikander  did  not,  however,  participate 
in  this  outrage.  On  their  arrival  at  Omanbonde, 
the  thieves  followed  up  this  coup  by  robbing  a small 
Bushman  werft,  and  beating  the  women  nearly  to 
death.  One  of  the  unfortunate  sufferers  came  to 
me  with  tears  in  his  eyes  to  complain,  and  as  the 
Bushmen  in  this  neighborhood  had  always  shown 
themselves  friendly  both  toward  me  and  the  Da- 
maras,^he  conduct  of  the  latter  was  the  more  dis- 
graceful and  brutal.  I felt  exasperated  at  the  law- 
lessness of  their  acts,  but  it  was  no  easy  matter, 
single-handed,  to  compel  150  cut-throats  to  do  jus- 
tice to  a poor  Bushman.  However,  my  blood  was 
up,  and,  seizing  a double-barreled  rifle,  I placed  the 
muzzle  of  the  weapon  within  a few  inches  of  the  head 
of  the  chief  of  the  party  in  question,  who  happened 
to  be  sitting  by  my  fire  at  the  time,  and  threatened 
him  with  instant  destruction  unless  restitution  was 
made  forthwith  to  the  complainant.  My  threat 
had  the  desired  effect,  for  in  the  course  of  a couple 
of  hours  all  the  purloined  articles  were  forthcom- 
ing, to  the  no  small  satisfaction  of  myself,  and  to 
the  great  joy  of  the  poor  man. 

The  Damaras  brought  with  them  a report  that  a 
party  of  white  men  (alluding  probably  to  the  Portu- 
guese) had  attacked,  and  to  a great  extent  destroy- 
ed, a nation  called  Ovambuenge,  living  to  the  east 

M 


178 


A GUIDE  WITH  A HAREM. 


of  the  Ovampo.  This  gave  me  some  anxiety,  as, 
in  case  there  should  be  any  truth  in  the  story,  it 
might  throw  serious  obstacles  in  my  way,  the  na- 
tion in  question  being  the  first  with  whom  I should, 
in  all  probability,  come  in  contact.  At  a later  peri- 
od I discovered  that  there  was  some  ground  for  the 
report,  but  that  the  aggressors  were  not  white  men, 
but  the  Makololo,  who  had  made  a descent  upon 
the  Ovambuenge,  and  carried  olf  almost  all  their 
cattle,  besides  many  captives  of  both  sexes.  But 
more  of  this  hereafter. 

The  leader  or  head  man  of  Jonker’s  Damaras, 
Koroinene  by  name,  had  in  former  years  lived 
much  in  the  neighborhood  of  Omanbonde,  and  was 
supposed  to  possess  an  intimate  knowledge  not  only 
of  the  country  between  this  point  and  the  Ovampo, 
but  also  of  that  to  the  north  and  east.  He  was, 
moreover,  a very  shrewd  and  intelligent  Damara — 
an  unusual  phenomenon  among  this  people ; and 
as  I had  no  guide  of  any  description,  I deemed  it 
of  importance  to  secure  the  services  of  this  man  for 
my  intended  journey.  On  being  sounded  on  the 
subject,  he  at  once  expressed  his  readiness  to  ac- 
company me  in  the  capacity  of  guide.  There  was, 
however,  a serious  objection  to  this  engagement, 
for  the  man  was  encumbered  with  numerous  wives 
and  a host  of  servants,  most  of  whom  refused  to 
return  to  their  homes,  declaring  that  they  would 
go  with  their  master.  There  wras  no  alternative. 
Either  I must  set  out  “guideless,”  or  bear  with  the 


BUSHMEN  AND  WOMEN. 


179 


nuisance.  I chose  the  latter,  but  gave  Koroinene 
expressly  to  understand  that  he  only,  with  one  or 
two  more,  would  be  fed  at  my  expense. 

On  the  night  of  the  23d  of  December  a battle 
took  place  between  two  Bushmen  werfts  situated 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Omanbonde,  when  several 
men  were  slain  on  both  sides.  A party  of  mine, 
who  had  been  sent  in  search  of  elephants,  surprised 
groups  of  these  natives  of  the  bush  in  a state  of 
great  excitement  and  agitation,  but  of  the  details 
of  the  fray  they  learned  nothing. 

Dr.  Livingstone,  in  his  missionary  travels,  says 
he  never  knew  but  one  instance  of  a fight  origina- 
ting in  a quarrel  about  women.  It  is  to  be  pre- 
sumed, therefore,  that  the  great  traveler  alludes  to 
such  nations  as  possess  cattle  ; for  among  the  Bush- 
men and  others  who  have  no  herds,  woman  is  too 
frequently  the  belli  teterrima  causa . 

The  day  after  receiving  news  of  the  fight  a lam- 
entable incident  occurred  which  greatly  provoked 
me.  A woman  belonging  to  my  guide’s  party  had 
gone  into  the  veldt,  as  was  her  daily  custom,  in 
search  of  edible  roots,  etc.,  when  she  was  surprised 
and  attacked  by  three  Bushmen,  who  discharged 
several  arrows  at  her.  One  of  these  missiles  sped 
true,  burying  itself  several  inches  deep  in  her  left 
buttock.  The  poor  creature  shouted  for  assistance, 
but  our  camp  was  too  distant  for  her  weak  voice 
to  reach  us ; it  had  the  effect,  however,  of  frighten- 
ing the  villains  away.  The  woman,  it  seems,  did 


180  POISONED  ARROWS. 

not  arrive  at  her  temporary  home  until  after  dusk, 
and,  unfortunately,  her  friends  left  the  tale  untold 
until  the  following  morning,  when  they  informed 
me  of  it.  The  poison  had  then  already  spread  to 
such  an  extent  as  to  make  all  my  little  skill  un- 
availing. And,  indeed,  I very  much  doubt  wheth- 
er any  surgery  in  the  world  could  have  saved  her. 
In  order  to  satisfy  her  husband  and  friends,  I did, 
nevertheless,  all  that  I thought  could  be  done  un- 
der the  circumstances. 

Strongly  suspecting  that  the  men  who  had  com- 
mitted this  outrage  belonged  to  the  identical  werft 
to  whose  inmates,  as  just  related,  I had  at  consider- 
able personal  risk  restored  some  stolen  property,  I 
felt  greatly  exasperated,  and  vowed  revenge  could  I 
but  catch  the  miscreants.  It  was  of  the  utmost  im- 
portance, it  is  true,  to  be  on  good  terms  with  the 
Bushmen ; but,  at  the  same  time,  it  was  equally 
necessary  to  inspire  them  with  a wholesome  fear  of 
us.  Kindness,  without  a due  mixture  of  sternness, 
is  thrown  away  upon  savages.  Accordingly,  all 
available  hands,  well  armed,  were  quickly  dispatch- 
ed in  pursuit  of  the  murderers,  though  I entertain- 
ed little  hope  that  they  would  be  overtaken  and 
captured.  Contrary,  however,  as  it  seemed,  to  my 
expectation,  late  at  night  on  the  same  day  the  party 
returned,  bringing  with  them  an  elderly  Bushman 
and  a very  fine  young  female.  But  the  former,  ac- 
cording to  the  wounded  woman’s  own  testimony, 
was  not  the  real  culprit,  and  the  other  prisoner, 


FEUDS  OF  SAVAGES. 


181 


though  the  wife  of  the  man  who  had  fired  the  fatal 
arrow,  I neither  could  nor  would  touch.  I determ- 
ined, nevertheless,  to  keep  both  for  a short  time  as 
hostages,  thinking  it  possible  that  the  husband  of 
the  woman  might  be  induced  to  come  to  her  rescue. 

The  guilty  horde  did  not,  as  I had  imagined,  be- 
long to  the  werft  alluded  to ; they  lived  farther  off, 
near  the  Otjomokojo  Mountains,  and  had  only  ac- 
cidentally, on  this  occasion,  extended  their  wander- 
ings to  my  neighborhood  in  quest  of  game.  My  sur- 
prise and  anger,  therefore,  were  somewhat  abated, 
for  these  poor  people  had  from  time  immemorial 
been  at  deadly  feud  with  the  Damaras,  and  both  par- 
ties were  in  the  habit  of  butchering  each  other  in- 
discriminately (men,  women,  and  children)  when- 
ever an  opportunity  occurred  for  gratifying  their 
mutual  hatred. 

After  thirty-six  hours  of  intense  sufferings  the 
wounded  woman  breathed  her  last.  In  the  confu- 
sion that  ensued — every  one  running  to  have  a look 
at  the  corpse — the  captive  Bushman,  whose  fetters 
had  been  somewhat  slackened,  managed  to  make  his 
escape.  This  was  rather  annoying,  but  there  was 
no  remedy.  The  woman  was  shortly  afterward  al- 
lowed to  walk  off,  thus  leaving  us  no  farther  chance 
of  catching  the  real  culprit.  Our  determined  pro- 
ceedings had,  however,  so  thoroughly  scared  the 
Bushmen  that  they  precipitately  fled  our  neighbor- 
hood. 


182 


ABSORPTION  AND  EVAPORATION. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

The  Rate  of  Absorption  and  Evaporation  of  Moisture  in  the 
dry  Season. — The  Return  of  the  Party  sent  to  Otjimbingue. 
— Preparations  for  a fresh  Start. — We  make  for  the  Omu- 
ramba  U’Ovambo. — Reasons  for  this  Choice. — Bid  Fare- 
well to  Omanbonde. — Description  of  my  Suite. — The  Guide 
ignorant  of  the  Route. — A Passage  through  a Forest. — The 
Guide  allowed  to  depart. — Difficulty  of  finding  Water.— -In- 
dications of  Bushmen  Villages. — A small  Well  discovered. — 
Bushmen  make  their  Appearance. — Their  contradictory  De- 
scriptions of  the  Omuramba,  supposed  by  Travelers  to  be  a 
Branch  of  the  Cunene. 

ThE  rains  had  by  this  time  fallen  in  considerable 
quantities ; yet  so  great  is  the  rate  of  absorption 
and  evaporation  at  this  season,  that  pools  of  from 
forty  to  fifty  feet  long,  and  several  feet  deep,  would 
dry  up  in  the  course  of  a week.  Still,  I hoped  to 
find  sufficient  rain-water  to  serve  our  purpose,  and 
only  waited  for  the  return  of  the  party  sent  to  Ot- 
jimbingue to  commence  operations.  Fortunately 
I had  not  long  to  wait,  for  on  the  morning  of  the 
first  day  of  1859  we  had  the  satisfaction  of  greeting 
our  comrades,  safe  and  sound,  in  our  camp  at  Oman- 
bonde. A few  days  more  sufficed  to  make  the  nec- 
essary and  final  arrangements. 

My  guide  (Koroinene)  had  proposed  to  follow 
up  (or  rather  down)  the  course  of  the  Omuramba 


THE  OMURAMBA  ifioVAMBO. 


183 


Ua1  Matako  as  the  most  eligible  way  to  reach  the 
' Ovambuenge  (also  called  Ovapangari).  But,  though 
it  was  advisable  to  give  the  Ovambo  a wide  berth 
(and  their  outposts  extended  to  the  neighborhood 
of  the  nation  in  question),  I did  not  adopt  his  pro- 
posal. Mr.  Green  had  already  tried  to  penetrate 
northward  by  the  very  route  that  Koroinene  sug- 
gested ; he  had  found  it  impracticable,  and  it  was 
not  likely  that  I should  succeed  where  he  had  failed. 
My  friend  had,  moreover,  supplied  me  with  a chart 
of  his  explorations  in  these  parts,  in  which  he  points 
out  another  river-course,  Omuramba  TTOvambo. 
This  river  had,  where  he  first  struck  it,  a northeast 
current,  which,  together  with  the  statements  of  the 
Bushmen,  and  other  circumstances,  led  both  Mr. 
Green  and  the  Bev.  Mr.  Hahn  to  the  conclusion 
that  it  was  identical  with  the  Cunene,  i.  e.,  a branch 
of  that  mysterious  stream.  Supposing  their  sur- 
mises to  be  correct,  it  was  of  the  utmost  import- 
ance to  me  to  gain  this  point ; for,  though  only 
periodical  in  its  flow,  the  river  would,  no  doubt,  by 
following  it  up  toward  its  source,  supply  a suffi- 
. ciency  of  water.  After  due  deliberation,  I de- 
termined, therefore,  to  make  for  the  Omuramba 
TJ’Ovambo  with  all  convenient  speed. 

Accordingly,  every  thing  being  in  readiness,  we 
bade  farewell  to  Omanbonde  on  the  afternoon  of 
the  5th  of  January.  We  moved  in  the  following 
order : I myself,  attended  by  a henchman  to  carry 
the  rifle,  proceeded  ahead  ; then  came  the  road-par- 


184 


ORDER  OF  MARCH. 


ty,  consisting  of  the  guide  Tom,  and  three  to  four 
Damaras,  armed  with  powerful  American  axes ; 
next  followed  the  wagon,  attended  by  Mortar  and 
two  or  three  native  lads ; while  Pereira  and  the  re- 
mainder of  the  Damaras  brought  up  the  rear  with 
the  cattle,  the  sheep,  the  women,  the  hangers-on, 
etc.  We  looked  quite  a respectable  and  picturesque 
procession. 

On  the  fourth  day  after  leaving  Omanbonde  we 
reached  Okamabuti  by  a totally  different  route  to 
that  followed  by  Mr.  Galton  in  1850. 

Clusters  of  small  limestone  hills  surround  this 
place,  and,  in  order  to  learn  something  of  the  coun- 
try before  us,  I took  my  guide  to  one  of  these  hills, 
which  commanded  a good  and  extensive  view ; but, 
to  my  extreme  annoyance  and  surprise,  I found 
that,  beyond  the  immediate  neighborhood,  the  man 
was  totally  ignorant  of  the  tract  in  the  direction 
of  our  proposed  route.  This  discovery  was  as  un- 
expected as  it  was  disappointing.  I consequently 
found  myself  precisely  in  the  same  condition  as 
when  at  Omanbonde.  I had  now  to  trust  entirely 
to  my  own  instinct  and  previous  experience  in  con- 
ducting the  expedition  with  safety  and  success. 

Mr.  Green’s  route  was  still  to  the  eastward  of  us, 
and  I calculated  that  in  about  two  days’  journey 
we  might  easily  reach  it.  After  some  little  delay 
at  Okamabuti  we  set  out  for  a small  fountain  hard 
by.  Here  we  bivouacked,  and  on  the  following  day 
continued  to  journey  on,  keeping  the  beautifully- 


PASSAGE  THROUGH  A FOREST. 


185 


wooded  hill  of  Otijtijka  to  our  right.  We  had  not 
proceeded  far  before  we  entered  a very  dense  brake, 
which  ere  long  became  a forest.  Finding  that  all 
our  efforts  to  cut  our  way  through  this  wood  of 
noble  timber  made  but  slow  progress,  I deemed  it 
best  at  once  to  unyoke  the  oxen  and  send  them 
back  to  the  fountain  we  had  just  left.  Pereira  was 
ordered  to  accompany  the  cattle,  and,  after  seeing 
them  duly  fed  and  watered,  to  rejoin  us  on  the  fol- 
lowing afternoon,  when  I hoped  to  have  opened  a 
clear  passage  for  our  advance. 

J ust  at  this  rather  critical  moment  our  soi  disant 
guide  requested  permission  to  return  home,  urging 
as  a reason  that  one  of  his  wives  was  suffering  from 
bad  health.  That  the  woman  was  really  ill  I had 
no  doubt ; but  the  real  cause  of  Koroinene’s  desire 
to  leave  me  was,  I felt  sure,  quite  different  from  the 
alleged  one.  However,  as  the  man  was  at  present 
not  only  useless,  but  a positive  nuisance,  I gladly 
acceded  to  his  request;  and  having  liberally  fur- 
nished him  with  “grub,”  tobacco,  etc.,  for  the  road, 
he  took  his  departure. 

Pereira  returned  with  the  cattle  at  the  appointed 
time,  and  having  succeeded  in  making  a tolerably 
good  path  through  the  forest,  we  continued  our 
journey.  Since  leaving  Omanbonde  we  had  not 
found  a drop  of  rain-water.  Several  small  vleys 
that  we  passed  had  evidently  been  full  at  no  dis- 
tant day,  but  were  now  quite  dry.  This  was  a 
great  disappointment,  for  without  guides  it  is  an 


186 


DROUGHT. DISCOVERY  OF  A WELL. 


exceedingly  difficult  and  laborious  task  to  find  wa- 
ter in  these  drouthy  districts.  Next  morning  we 
were  early  stirring,  and  the  country  being  tolerably 
free  from  bush  we  made  good  progress.  But  there 
was  no  sign  of  water,  though  the  sun  had  nearly 
reached  its  meridian.  We  came,  however,  upon 
fresh  Bushmen  tracks,  which,  together  with  the  ap- 
pearance of  numerous  Guinea-fowls,  doves,  etc,,  led 
us  to  conclude  that  water  was  not  far  off.  It  was, 
neverthless,  despite  these  unmistakable  signs,  less 
easy  to  find  than  might  be  supposed,  for  the  local- 
ity was  intersected  in  every  direction  by  numerous 
small  footpaths,  which  greatly  puzzled  our  search. 
At  last,  being  in  advance  of  my  party,  I struck  a 
path  evidently  more  frequented  than  the  rest,  and 
by  following  it  up  for  a short  time  had  the  satis- 
faction of  finding  a small  well.  There  were,  be- 
sides, two  or  three  other  pits  partially  filled  up  with 
rubbish.  From  the  nature  of  the  rock,  however 
(calcareous  tufa),  I doubted  not  that  by  digging  a 
sufficiency  of  water  might  be  obtained  for  both  man 
and  beast. 

While  busily  engaged  clearing  out  the  pits  sev- 
eral Bushmen  made  their  appearance.  They  did 
not  seem  in  the  least  afraid  or  suspicious,  which  I 
very  justly  attributed  to  the  good  treatment  they 
had  experienced  at  the  hands  of  Messrs.  Green  and 
Hahn  on  their  journey  to  the  Ovambo  in  the  year 
preceding  my  visit.  At  this  place  we  found  the 
spoors  of  their  wagons ; but  their  route  inclining 


CONFLICTING  STATEMENTS. 


187 


after  a while  too  much  to  the  westward  to  suit  my 
purpose,  I determined  to  pursue  my  own  course  in 
a direction  nearly  due  north.  Two  of  the  Bush- 
men we  had  fallen  in  with  agreed  to  guide  me  to 
the  next  water,  which  we  reached  at  an  early  hour 
on  the  following  day. 

I lost  no  opportunity  of  questioning  my  present 
guides  about  the  country  and  the  people,  etc.,  we 
were  about  to  visit,  but  found  the  task  so  difficult, 
and  their  accounts  so  conflicting,  that  after  a while 
I ceased  my  inquiries.  One  party  represented  the 
Omuramba  as  a permanent  stream ; said  that  the 
sun  was  on  the  right  cheek,  eastward  along  its 
course ; that  both  Bushmen  and  black  people  lived 
on  its  banks ; that  both  nations  possessed  cattle ; 
that,  hippopotami  and  alligators  inhabited  its  wa- 
ters ; that  the  distance  to  the  said  Omuramba  was 
five  days1  journey,  and  thence  three  days1  on  to  the 
black  people — particulars,  all  of  them,  in  total  dis- 
agreement with  the  account  of  Messrs.  Green  and 
Hahn. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  16th  of  January  I cross- 
ed a dry , narrow,  but  somewhat  deeply  depressed 
river  bed,  having  at  this  point  a nearly  due  north 
and  south  course.  From  its  insignificant  appear- 
ance I paid  no  particular  attention  to  it,  and  con- 
tinued to  journey  on.  At  an  after  period,  however, 

I ascertained  that  this  was  the  veritable  Omuramba 
U’Ovambo,  spoken  of  by  the  travelers  just  men-  » 
tioned,  and  identical  with  their  supposed  branch 


188 


SUPPOSED  BRANCH  OF  THE  CUNENE. 


of  the  Cunene.  Yet  being  still  under  the  impres- 
sion that  the  river  in  question  was  to  the  north  of 
us,  and  had  a northeast  course,  I thought  that,  by 
pursuing  our  present  direction,  we  could  not  fail  to 
strike  it  sooner  or  later. 


FRUIT  AND  FOREST  TREES. 


189 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Comparatively  good  Road.  — Pretty  Scenery. — Fruit  and 
Forest  Trees. — A sandy  Soil. — Thorn  Jungles. — Scarcity 
of  Water. — Yleys  dried  up. — The  Heat  intense. — Guides 
declare  there  is  no  Possibility  of  proceeding  farther. — De- 
light on  finding  Water.  — An  Accident  happens  to  the 
Wagon. — The  Axle-tree  renewed  six  Times. — The  Acacia 
Giraffe  and  the  White  Ant. — Monotony  of  Toil,  Anxiety, 
and  Hardship. 

Hitherto,  with  few  exceptions,  the  country  had 
proved  tolerably  favorable  for  wagon  traveling, 
and  afforded  besides,  at  times,  very  pretty  scenery. 
The  forest  and  fruit  trees  we  met  with  were  remark- 
ably fine.  Of  the  former  there  was  one  of  a kind 
which  particularly  struck  me,  for  it  seemed  to  be  at 
once  tree,  creeper,  and  parasite.  Parts  of  its  roots 
might  occasionally  be  seen  loosening  their  holds  on 
the  ground,  through  a powerful  attraction  toward 
another  tree  of  a totally  distinct  species,  twining 
and  spreading  around  the  latter  till  the  two  growths 
became  one.  This  plant  has  a smooth,  light-colored 
stem — or  rather  stems — with  an  oblong  leaf,  and 
shoots  up  to  a very  considerable  height.  Of  the 
fruit  trees  I noticed  the  “almond”  (I  call  it  thus 
from  want  of  a better  name)  ranked  foremost. 
Large  in  bulk  and  handsome  in  foliage,  its  fruit  in 


190 


FRUIT  AND  FOREST  TREES. 


look  resembles  a plum,  but  has  an  acid  flavor,  and 
a stone  inside,  which  contains  a soft  kernel,  in  taste 
and  appearance  not  unlike  the  almond.  I have 
already  spoken  of  this  tree  in  the  pages  of  u Lake 
Ngami.1’ 

We  had  till  now,  as  I have  just  hinted,  found 
our  progress  much  easier  and  more  pleasant  than 
it  had  been  heretofore,  by  the  comparative  open- 
ness and  smiling  aspect  of  the  country.  Of  short 
duration,  however,  was  this  agreeable  traveling ; for 
two  days  after  we  had  left  the  Omuramba  the  scene 
changed  totally,  and  in  every  respect  for  the  worse. 
Instead  of  a fine  champagne  region  of  limestone 
tufa,  finely  dotted  over  with  groups  of  handsome 
trees  and  bushwood,  we  now  entered  on  a loose, 
sandy,  undulating  soil,  frequently  covered  with  odi- 
ous, embarrassing  thorn  jungles,  in  places  so  dense 
as  to  require  hours  to  clear  a path  through  them. 
The  oxen,  moreover,  unaccustomed  to  the  heavy 
sand,  dragged  the  wagon  very  unwillingly  along. 
About  the  same  time,  too,  another  serious  difficulty 
— the  frequently  recurring  one,  want  of  water — 
presented  itself.  The  rains  had  evidently  fallen 
but  very  sparingly,  or  not  at  all,  in  these  parts. 
As  long  as  we  kept  on  the  limestone  we  had  found 
a sufficiency  of  fountains  and  old  dilapidated  wells 
to  quench  our  thirst ; but  here,  though  there  were 
many  fine  vleys,  they  were  almost  all  dry,  and, 
finally,  they  failed  us  altogether. 

On  the  19th  of  January  we  had  been  nearly  two 


A SALLY  IN  QUEST  OF  WATER.  191 

days  without  a drop  of  water  for  the  cattle.  The 
heat  was  intense ; the  sun  scorched  us  like  a great 
blazing  fire.  Our  guide,  a sensible  old  fellow,  look- 
ed misery  itself,  declaring  repeatedly  that  any  at- 
tempt to  penetrate  farther  in  this  direction  would 
prove  fatal  to  us  all,  as  there  was  not  a single  well 
or  natural  spring  for  a hundred  miles.  This  he 
spoke  from  hearsay,  acknowledging  that  he  was 
personally  totally  unacquainted  with  the  country. 
This  was  disheartening  tidings ; but  I had  made 
up  my  mind  to  go  through  with  my  adventure  at 
all  hazards.  Accordingly,  saddling  my  old  horse 
and  packing  a little  drinking-water  on  the  donkeys, 
I set  out,  accompanied  by  two  or  three  of  my  native 
attendants,  in  quest  of  a new  supply  of  the  precious 
liquid,  giving  orders  to  the  remainder  to  retrace 
their  steps  with  the  wagon  should  I not  make  my 
appearance  in  the  course  of  the  next  day. 

Leaving  the  men  to  follow  with  the  donkeys  as 
well  as  they  could,  I p ut  my  Ho  sin  ante  to  his  ut- 
most speed,  and,  as  good  luck  would  have  it,  after 
nearly  three  hours’  hard  riding,  discovered,  to  my 
great  relief,  a vley,  which,  though  of  no  great  ca- 
pacity, would  still  afford  us  a supply  for  a few  days. 
I thereupon  rejoined  my  wagon  and  men  on  the 
same  night,  by  whom,  I need  hardly  say,  my  success 
was  hailed  with  rapture.  On  the  following  day  we 
moved  on  to  the  water.  Reader,  if  you  have  not 
personally  experienced  such  a deliverance  in  ex- 
treme need,  you  can  not  understand  the  delight  and 
thankfulness  it  imparts. 


192  THE  USE  OF  IGNORANT  GUIDES. 

Our  guide  now  earnestly  requested  to  be  allowed 
to  return  home,  urging  his  incompetency  to  be  of 
any  farther  service  to  us.  On  condition  of  his 
procuring  a substitute  I acceded  to  his  demand; 
though,  to  say  the  truth,  I did  not  at  present  much 
care  for  guides,  especially  as  our  progress,  owing 
to  the  uncouthness  of  the  veldt,  was  so  slow  that 
I well  knew  no  Bushmen  would  remain  with  us. 
There  was  one  consideration,  however,  which  ren- 
dered a guide  from  place  to  place  very  advantage- 
ous to  us : it  was  this — he  would  be  able  to  tell  his 
countrymen  who  we  were,  whence  we  came,  and  the 
object  of  our  journey,  etc.  Him  they  would  be- 
lieve, or  at  least  to  him  they  would  listen,  while 
our  own  account  of  ourselves  would  probably  be 
laughed  at,  and  all  the  more  suspected,  as  we  were 
coming  from  an  enemy’s  country.  Scarcely  any 
thing,  indeed,  is  more  dangerous  to  a traveler  than 
suddenly,  without  an  introduction,  to  present  him- 
self before  a strange  and  uncivilized  people. 

The  old  man  did  not  wait  to  be  told  twice  that 
he  might  depart.  Contrary  to  my  expectation, 
however,  he,  after  an  absence  of  about  thirty  hours, 
returned,  bringing  with  him  several  young  men  to 
serve  as  our  future  guides.  I did  not  like  their  ap- 
pearance ; they  seemed  much  too  young,  and  very 
ignorant.  Nevertheless,  I accepted  their  services, 
chiefly  for  the  reason  just  mentioned,  being  at  the 
same  time  somewhat  indifferent  as  to  whether  they 
might  choose  to  decamp  or  to  fulfill  their  engage- 
ment. 


AXLE-TREE  BROKEN. 


193 


While  awaiting  the  return  of  the  old  guide  I had 
explored  the  country  a little  ahead  of  us,  and  had 
fortunately  discovered  a group  of  small  vleys.  The 
water,  it  is  true,  was  of  the  very  worst  description. 
It  had  evidently  been  frequented  for  some  length 
of  time  by  troops  of  elephants,  whose  wallowings 
and  excrements  had  converted  it  into  something 
like  a cesspool.  Nevertheless,  I hailed  the  filthy 
puddle  with  joy,  as  affording  at  least  an  escape  from 
parching  drought. 

Having  got  every  thing  in  readiness  for  a start, 
we  were  able,  shortly  after  our  new  acquaintances 
had  joined  us,  to  continue  our  journey,  and  on  the 
following  day  I had  the  good  fortune  to  discover 
a fine  vley  of  clear  water.  I say  discover,  for  our 
guides  had,  as  I previously  suspected  they  would 
do,  decamped  that  morning.  A few  minutes1  walk 
from  this  vley  a serious  accident  occurred  to  the 
wagon.  By  the  carelessness  of  the  driver,  the  hind 
axle  had  come  in  contact  with  a prostrate  kamel 
thorn-tree,  and  the  shock  had  broken  one  of  its 
arms.  To  break  an  axle-tree  is,  under  all  circum- 
stances, a serious  mishap ; but  when  it  occurs  in  a 
wild,  inhospitable  region  like  the  one  we  were  trav- 
ersing, destitute  of  suitable  wood  for  repairing  the 
damage,  the  mischief  is  incalculable.  In  the  course 
of  about  150  miles  I had  to  renew  this  axle  more 
or  less  six  different  times,  neither  a pleasant  nor  an 
easy  task,  especially  as  only  one  sort  of  tree  to  be 
found  in  this  country,  namely,  the  Acacia  giraffe, 

N 


194  ACACIA  GIRAFFE  AND  WHITE  ANT. 

indigenous  to  Damara  Land  and  the  adjacent  tracts, 
is  suitable  to  this  piece  of  wheelwright  work.  I 
must  mention,  too,  as  a singular  fact,  that  not  one 
of  these  trees  in  a hundred — nay,  I might  safely 
say,  not  one  in  a thousand,  is  sound ! Almost  all 
of  them  are  either  decayed  in  the  heart,  or  so  per- 
forated by  worms  and  ants  as  to  be  quite  useless. 
They  look  fair  enough  as  they  stand  in  the  field  or 
forest,  but  attempt  to  employ  them  in  any  species 
of  carpentry  or  building,  and  they  will  generally  be 
found,  from  the  causes  I have  named,  totally  un- 
serviceable. 

One  evening,  while  pursuing  our  route,  we  were 
nearly  poisoned  by  some  wild  beans  which  the  cook 
had  picked  up  along  the  road.  Seeing  him  about  to 
put  them  into  the  saucepan,  I remarked,  u Mortar, 
I was  once  made  very  ill  by  eating  those  beans  in  a 
raw  state,”  adding  that  I thought  they  might  prove 
harmless  if  properly  prepared  by  fire.  Finding  the 
vegetable  somewhat  palatable,  I partook  of  it  rather 
freely,  as  did  also  the  cook  and  Pereira.  But  scarce- 
ly had  we  finished  our  meal  when  we  were  seized 
wfith  sudden  nausea,  violent  headache,  and  throb- 
bing of  the  heart.  Finally,  however,  and  providen- 
tially, the  poisonous  stuff  was  entirely  ejected  by  a 
violent  retching.  No  serious  result  ensued ; the 
only  effect  being  a nauseous  taste  in  the  mouth 
throughout  that  night  and  the  following  day,  accom- 
panied by  much  bodily  prostration,  a good  deal  like 
that  produced  by  swallowing  a large  dose  of  castor- 
oil. 


MONOTONY  OF  TOIL,  ANXIETY,  AND  HARDSHIP.  195 

This  “bean,”  so  hurtful  to  man,  proved  quite 
wholesome  to  the  cattle,  sheep,  and  goats,  who  ate 
it,  both  leaves  and  fruit,  greedily. 

But  I will  not  task  the  reader’s  patience  by  a 
recital  of  each  day’s  proceedings.  They  were  gen- 
erally days  of  much  toil,  anxiety,  and  hardship. 
Sometimes  we  found  abundance  of  water,  while  at 
others  we  suffered  all  the  tortures  of  Tantalus ; and 
when  not  employed  in  mending  the  wagon,  I was 
always  afoot  or  on  horseback  in  search  either  of 
game,  vleys,  or  a passage,  and  sometimes  of  all 
three. 


196 


GADFLIES. 


CHAPTEE  XIV. 

Gadflies. — Another  Elephant  Hunt : interrupted  by  a Storm 
of  Rain. — A very  jeopardous  Position. — An  arduous  Chase. 
— An  Elephant  charges  his  Pursuer. — Wounded  severely. 
— Brought  down  after  a long  Hunt. — Another  Elephant 
bagged. — Plenty  of  Provision. — The  Natives  flock  together 
to  devour  the  Carcasses. — Jerking  and  Drying. — Slow  Prog- 
ress.— The  Number  of  Bushes  and  Trees  cut  down  to  clear 
a Passage. — One  hundred  and  seventy  Bushes  felled  every 
three  hundred  Yards. — The  incredible  amount  of  Labor  to 
advance  one  Mile. — Description  of  the  Country. — Variation 
of  the  Compass. — Some  Alteration  in  my  Course. 

I had  calculated  largely  on  game  for  the  support 
of  my  party,  but  in  this  respect  was  sadly  disap- 
pointed. One  of  the  causes  of  this  scarcity  of  wild 
animals  was  to  be  found  in  the  swarms  of  gadflies, 
of  the  most  venomous  description,  which  infest  this 
region.  This  fly  attacks  alike  man  and  beast,  and 
at  every  sting  draws  large  drops  of  blood.  My  na- 
tive attendants  suffered  agonies  from  their  assaults, 
and  the  state  of  the  cattle  was  scarcely  less  jntiable. 
The  bellies  of  the  poor  brutes  were  sometimes — and 
I speak  without  exaggeration — literally  one  mass 
of  coagulated  blood.  The  Bushmen  assured  me — 
and  I could  well  believe  their  statement — that  cat- 
tle and  beasts  of  prey  often  died  from  the  poisonous 
stings  of  these  bloodthirsty  insects.  They  followed 


A RAIN-STORM. 


197 


us  for  days,  settling  at  night  in  clusters  underneath 
the  wagon. 

Formidable,  however,  as  they  were,  they  could 
not  drive  away  the  mighty  elephant,  though  he,  no 
doubt,  was  not  exempt  from  their  torments.  As 
we  proceeded,  we  met  daily  with  fresh  indications 
of  this  animal’s  propinquity ; and  as  our  slender 
stock  of  cattle  for  slaughter  was  fast  decreasing,  I 
determined  to  go  in  search  of  my  old  enemies  at 
my  earliest  convenience.  Accordingly,  having,  at 
a pretty  early  hour  one  morning,  come  across  the 
recent  trail  of  a fine  bull,  I at  once  started  in  pur- 
suit of  him.  After  several  hours  tracking,  we  found 
that  he  had  joined  a group  of  she-elephants  with 
calves.  This  was  any  thing  but  a pleasant  discov- 
ery. However,  we  persevered,  and  after  a couple  of 
hours  farther  u spooring”  sighted  the  herd,  when,  to 
my  no  small  satisfaction,  I saw  the  old  gentleman 
straying  a little  apart  from  the  rest  of  the  company. 
I made  instant  arrangements  for  attacking  him,  but 
could  not ; for  at  that  moment  the  rain  came  down 
in  such  torrents,  and  with  so  much  violence,  as  com- 
pletely to  darken  the  atmosphere,  entirely  obscur- 
ing objects  but  a very  short  distance  off.  Under 
these  circumstances,  all  I could  do  (and  that  was 
not  done  without  some  difficulty  and  danger)  was 
to  keep  the  brute  in  view  till  the  weather  should 
clear  up.  Being  too,  at  the  time,  very  slightly  clad, 
having  on  me  only  a pair  of  trowsers  and  a flannel 
jacket,  I doubted  much  whether  I should  be  able  to 


198 


AN  ELEPHANT  ASTONISHED. 


keep  my  rifle  dry,  a matter  of  the  utmost  conse- 
quence ; for,  if  the  piece  should  miss  fire  at  the  crit- 
ical moment,  it  might  cost  me  my  life.  The  storm 
having  at  last  abated,  I set  a couple  of  men  to  watch 
the  movements  of  my  intended  prey,  while  I retired 
behind  a small  brake  to  light  a fire  and  dry  my 
rifle.  I found  my  poor  followers,  on  joining  them, 
half  dead  from  the  long,  cold,  soaking  shower-bath 
they  had  been  exposed  to. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  rain,  I must  here  notice, 
we  had  lost  sight  of  the  other  elephants,  but  were 
still  aware  of  their  nearness  to  us  by  hearing  at 
short  intervals  the  trumpeting  of  one  of  the  herd — 
most  probably  of  the  leading  cow — and  no  doubt 
for  the  purpose  of  keeping  the  troop  together. 

The  bull  was,  meanwhile,  sauntering  leisurely  to 
and  fro  in  an  open  and  very  exposed  place,  where  I 
dared  not  attack  him.  At  last  he  moved  into  some 
low  scattered  bush,  and,  as  the  sun  was  fast  declin- 
ing toward  the  west,  I determined,  having  no  time 
to  lose,  at  once  to  approach  him,  which  I did  with 
a stout  heart.  I stalked  up  unperceived  to  within 
about  sixty  paces  of  where  the  animal  stood,  and 
fired.  The  bullet  sped  true,  for  he  uttered  a loud 
shriek,  ran  forward  a short  distance,  then  stopped 
and  remained  motionless.  Turning  sharply  round, 
he  in  a few  minutes  passed  me  within  one  hundred 
paces,  at  full  speed,  whereupon  he  received  another 
shot,  which  also  appeared  to  have  taken  effect.  He 
was  then  making  straight  for  the  cows,  but,  fortu- 


GAME  TO  THE  LAST. 


199 


nately,  the  second  wound  made  him  swerve  from  that 
direction,  and  gave  me  a third  shot  at  him.  The 
distance,  however,  of  my  mark  this  time,  fully  200 
yards,  was  too  great ; my  bullet  nevertheless,  as 
subsequently  found,  struck  the  beast  in  the  left  fore 
leg.  He  was  almost  immediately  afterward  hidden 
among  the  bushes,  but  we,  that  is,  myself  and  hench- 
man, following  quickly  on  his  traces,  soon  sighted 
him  again.  He  was  losing,  we  perceived,  much 
blood ; yet,  whenever  we  tried  to  get  within  range 
of  him,  he  turned  round  and  charged  us  with  great 
fury.  The  brute  was  evidently  seriously  wounded, 
but  of  so  savage  a disposition  that  we  were  obliged 
to  approach  him  very  cautiously.  Following  pa- 
tiently on  his  spoor  for  about  half  an  hour,  we  espied 
him  standing  behind  a small  bush  nearly  facing  us. 
The  cover  was  rather  poor,  and  I waited  long  in  the 
hopes  of  seeing  him  move  on.  He  did  not,  how- 
ever, stir.  I had  therefore  no  alternative ; so,  mak- 
ing the  best  I could  of  his  position,  I at  last,  with 
great  precaution,  succeeded  in  stalking  up  unper- 
ceived to  within  a reasonable  distance  of  my  mark. 
The  bush,  unfortunately,  behind  which  he  had  sta- 
tioned himself  completely  hid  his  shoulder.  Guess- 
ing at  it,  nevertheless,  as  well  as  I could,  I fired, 
and  with  deadly  effect,  for  the  poor  brute,  after 
rushing  forward  a few  paces,  fell  to  the  ground  a 
corpse.  This  elephant  proved  a very  noble  prize. 
His  tusks  were  excellent,  and  alone  well  rewarded 
my  trouble  and  perseverance. 


200 


A FEAST. 


The  very  next  morning,  having  gone  out  to  re- 
connoitre, I fell  in  with  the  fresh  trail  of  another 
bull  elephant,  which  I tracked,  stalked,  and  killed, 
without  any  assistance  from  my  man ; and  this 
elephant  was  an  enormous  beast,  measuring  nearly 
twelve  feet  in  height  at  the  shoulder;  yet  he  was 
quite  a young  animal,  with  comparatively  small 
tusks. 

We  had  now  meat  in  abundance — -indeed,  more 
than  we  well  knew  what  to  do  with,  and  I was 
anxiously  looking  out  for  Bushmen  to  eat  it  up, 
for  I hate  waste,  when  a werft  of  these  people,  at- 
tracted to  the  spot  by  the  report  of  the  rifle,  made 
their  appearance  just  as  the  carcass  of  the  last-killed 
animal  was  about  to  be  served  up.  The  Bushmen 
of  these  regions  are  as  stout,  well  fed,  and  good- 
looking  fellows  as  one  would  wish  to  see. 

Heavy  rains,  and  the  process  of  jerking  and  dry- 
ing our  meat,  delayed  us  at  this  point  fully  a week. 
On  the  7th  of  February  we  were,  however,  able  to 
move  forward,  but  made  little  progress  on  that  and 
on  the  following  two  days.  Indeed,  the  whole  dis- 
tance we  advanced  might  have  been  accomplished 
in  a single  hour  under  favorable  circumstances. 
The  late  exceeding  wetness  of  the  weather  and  the 
denseness  of  the  bush,  or  rather  forests,  before  us 
were  the  causes  of  this  delay.  Instead  of  low  sandy 
ridges  overgrown  with  low  thorn  coppices,  we  had 
now  to  traverse  lofty  ranges,  covered  with  splendid 
trees,  some  of  which  were  entirely  new  to  me,  while 


CLEARING  A PASSAGE. 


201 


underwood  or  jungle  too  was  so  thick  that  it  was 
difficult  even  for  a man  on  foot  to  pick  his  way 
through  it.  The  labor  and  time,  therefore,  required 
for  clearing  a passage  for  wagons  was  very  great 
— the  reader  may  judge  how  great  when  I tell  him 
that  we  were,  more  than  once,  as  much  as  three 
days  in  crossing  ridges  not  above  a mile  wide. 
Three  or  four  axes  were  incessantly  plied  by  me 
from  early  dawn  till  dusk,  and  seven  or  eight  men 
were  constantly  engaged  in  the  same  work.  An- 
other fact  will  perhaps  give  a better  notion  of  the 
difficulties  we  had  to  overcome.  I take  it  from  my 
journal  as  jotted  down  at  the  time. 

“Had  the  curiosity  to  count  the  number  of 
bushes  (and  trees)  cut  down  in  order  to  open  out 
a path  to  a certain  distance.  In  this  calculation 
I invariably  found  in  300  yards  170  bushes  felled; 
that  is,  about  1000  bushes  a mile.  I reckoned,  be- 
sides, four  stalks  to  each  bush,  a very  low  compu- 
tation, which  gave  4000  distinct  branches,  every 
stalk  or  branch  (varying  from  the  size  of  a finger 
to  that  of  a man’s  leg)  usually  requiring  from  three 
to  four  strokes  of  the  axe ; thus  one  axe  must  act- 
ually have  descended  12,000  times  in  the  course  of 
a single  mile.  Conceive  the  incredible  amount  of 
labor  the  passage  of  one  such  mile  supposes — in- 
deed, we  are  just  now  proceeding  something  short 
of  a snail’s  pace.”  We  have,  however,  about  200 
miles  of  this  sort  of  country  to  traverse  before  we 
reach  our  journey’s  end,  so  that,  in  round  numbers, 


202  200,000  bushes  cut  down. 

there  must  be  2,400,000  strokes  of  one  axe,  or 
1,200,000  to  each  of  two  axes  (the  number  usually 
employed),  delivered,  and  no  less  than  200,000 
bushes  and  trees  cut  down  before  we  can  get  over 
this  space.  And  this  work  was  successfully  per- 
formed. 

Between  every  two  ridges  of  this  uncouth  tract 
there  was  an  open  gully,  a kind  of  Omuramba, 
varying  from  100  to  400  feet  in  width.  These 
Omurambas  usually  afforded  liberal  supplies  of 
rain-water,  were  pretty  free  from  bush,  and,  pre- 
senting a hard,  smooth  surface,  were  very  favorable 
to  wagon  traveling.  Unfortunately,  however,  they 
extended  (with  a regularity  quite  surprising)  in  a 
due  western  and  eastern  direction,  or  nearly  so. 

The  variation  of  the  compass  in  these  parts  is 
rather  more  than  a score  of  degrees  to  the  north- 
west. By  a western  course,  therefore,  I must  nec- 
essarily have  lost  ground  rapidly,  while  an  at- 
tempt to  proceed  on  a contrary  slant  w^ould  have 
proved  nearly  equally  misleading.  Having  thus 
scarcely  an  alternative,  I determined  on  the  follow- 
ing plan,  the  only  one  that  struck  me  as  ultimately 
likely  to  issue  in  a satisfactory  result : I resolved 
to  follow  the  bed  of  the  gullies  in  a westerly  direc- 
tion until  I should  light  upon  a point  where  the 
ridges  might  be  crossed  with  less  difficulty.  This 
route  would  enable  me,  at  least,  to  keep  up  my 
“ northing;11  and,  in  the  mean  time,  the  country 
might  improve,  possibly  become  more  practicable. 


PERILOUS  NAVIGATION  OF  THE  DESERT.  203 

My  rather  jeopardous  and  difficult  position  strong- 
ly reminded  me  of  seafarers  in  the  close  neighbor- 
hood of  a coral-reef  or  an  iceberg,  anxiously  exam- 
ining every  aperture  and  break  in  the  obstruction 
opposing  them  in  the  hope  of  finding  a safe  passage 
for  their  frail  skiff. 

On  the  well-wooded  ridges  just  spoken  of  I dis- 
covered moss,  a species  of  vegetation  I had  not  ob- 
served before  during  my  travels  north  of  the  Orange 
River. 


204 


HOPES  RENOUNCED. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

All  Hope  of  finding  the  Omuramba  described  by  Travelers  re- 
nounced.— Doubts  about  its  being  a Branch  of  the  Cunene. 
— The  River  pointed  out  by  the  Bushmen  quite  distinct  from 
the  Cunene. — A sandy  Country,  a continuous  Forest. — An 
unexpected  Visit  from  a Bushman,  an  old  Acquaintance  of 
Messrs.  Green  and  Hahn. — He  consents  to  be  our  Guide  for 
some  Distance. — I promise  to  kill  an  Elephant  for  him  and 
his  People. — Encampment  by  a line  Vley  of  Water. — A be- 
nevolent Bushman. — An  Elephant  struck  dead  by  Lightning. 
— Fruit-trees  and  Forest-trees. — Their  Description. — A For- 
est-tree of  huge  Dimensions  and  spreading  Foliage. — An- 
other Elephant-hunt. — Elephants  in  Herds  as  numerous  as 
Cattle,  like  a large  Army. — Their  shrill  Trump etings  at  Night. 

I had  now  given  up  all  hope  of  finding  the  Omu- 
ramba TTOvambo,  unless  the  small  river-course 
crossed  on  the  16th  of  January,  as  already  men- 
tioned, should  turn  out  to  be  identical  with  that 
stream.  That  this  was  really  the  case  I began  to 
entertain  strong  suspicions ; for  if  Messrs.  Green 
and  Hahn’s  statements  and  surmises  were  in  any 
measure  correct,  I must  necessarily,  long  ere  this, 
have  struck  the  river.  As  to  the  supposition  of 
those  travelers  that  the  Omuramba  TTOvambo  is  a 
branch  of  the  Cunene,  I had  my  doubts ; I more- 
over thought  that,  instead  of  flowing  toward  Onon- 
dova,  it  was  merely  a current  from  that  lake,  the 


THE  OMURAMBA. 


205 


source  of  which  must  be  looked  for  elsewhere — an- 
other riddle — and  that,  like  the  Dzouga,  lost  for  a 
while  in  the  sand,  it  might  possibly  join  the  minor 
Omuramba  Otjituo  farther  on. 

The  river  to  which  the  Bushmen  now  pointed 
was  evidently  quite  distinct  from  the  Cunene  and 
the  Omuramba  U’Ovambo.  It  was  in  all  proba- 
bility the  Mukuru  Mukovanja,  so  well  described  to 
Mr.  Galton  and  myself  by  the  Ovambo,  who  de- 
clared that  it  was  the  great  river. 

On  the  18th  of  February  we  found  ourselves 
scarce  of  water,  and,  at  the  same  time,  lost  all  traces 
of  those  gullies  which  had  hitherto  befriended  us. 
Instead  of  traversing  parallel  wooded  ranges,  we 
now  entered  on  a comparatively  level  country  cov- 
ered with  one  continuous  forest.  The  soil  was  com- 
posed of  a fine  white  sand,  so  loose  and  yielding 
that  both  man  and  beast  sank  into  it  ankle  deep ; 
and  as  we  had  no  choice  at  present  with  regard  to 
routes,  all  I could  do  was  to  keep  due  north,  the 
course  pointed  to  by  the  Bushmen  as  the  directest 
one  to  the  river. 

At  about  this  time,  just  as  I had  returned  one 
day  from  a hard  ride  in  search  of  water,  and,  having 
been  successful,  was  refreshing  the  inner  man,  a fine- 
looking  Bushman  chief  stood  suddenly  before  us. 
He  had  accidentally  come  across  my  horse’s  spoor, 
and  thinking  the  rider  might  belong  to  some  white 
man’s  party  (he  had  seen  Messrs.  Green  and  Hahn 
when  on  their  journey  to  the  Ovambo),  he  unhesita- 

. 

/] 


206 


A NEW  GUIDE. 


tingly  followed  it  up  till  lie  reached  the  wagon.  I 
felt  much  gratified  at  this  encounter,  first,  because 
the  man  could  speak  well  of  us  to  his  countrymen, 
and,  secondly,  because  he  would  be  of  the  utmost 
service  in  guiding  us  to  springs,  wells,  and  vleys,  now 
very  difficult  to  find.  He  (Kanganda  was  his  name), 
agreed  at  once  to  accompany  us  for  some  distance, 
and  I,  on  my  part,  promised  to  kill  an  elephant  for 
him  and  his  people  at  the  earliest  opportunity. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  second  day  after  our  new 
guide  had  joined  us  we  arrived  at  several  wells 
scooped  out  of  the  sand,  having  in  the  mean  time 
obtained  water  for  our  cattle  at  a small  vley.  An- 
other day’s  travel  brought  us  to  a large  one  of  good 
clear  water.  Both  this  place  and  that  which  we  had 
just  left  (i.  e.,  the  wells)  were  resorted  to  regularly  ev- 
ery dry  season  by  certain  Ovambo  with  their  cattle. 

I was  suffering  at  this  time  excessively  from  rheu- 
matic pains  in  my  back,  so  much  so  that  neither 
standing,  sitting,  nor  reclining  brought  me  any  re- 
lief— indeed,  the  pain  was  at  times  so  excruciating 
as  almost  to  drive  me  frantic.  Nevertheless,  in  or- 
der to  fulfill  my  promise  to  the  Bushmen  (who  were 
now  anxious  to  return  home),  and  with  a view  to 
the  replenishment  of  our  own  exhausted  larder,  I 
made  up  my  mind  for  an  elephant  hunt  as  soon  as 
we  could  find  fresh  and  fair-sized  spoors.  This  hap- 
pened the  very  next  morning  after  our  arrival  at 
the  vley,  when  the  trail  of  a large  male  elephant 
was  discovered  hard  by  our  camp.  Saddling  the 


PURSUIT  OF  AN 


REPLENISHMENT  OE  THE  LARDER. 


209 


ox  “Seeland,11  I was  soon  in  pursuit,  and,  notwith- 
standing the  early  hour,  had  the  good  fortune  to 
come  up  with  the  brute  after  about  an  hour  and  a 
half  tracking.  I brought  him  down  at  the  second 
shot,  and  with  a third  killed  him  outright.  The 
beast  was  unusually  savage,  which  I attributed  to 
his  having  several  assegai  wounds,  one  of  them  evi- 
dently of  recent  date,  on  his  body.  He  was  a large 
elephant,  with  excellent  tusks.  The  Bushmen  were 
of  course  in  ecstasy  at  my  success,  and  their  chief 
returned  forthwith  to  his  werft  to  fetch  the  remain- 
der of  his  people  to  feast  on  the  carcass. 

There  was  a fine  vley  of  water  in  the  immediate 
neighborhood  of  the  spot  where  the  elephant  fell. 
Here,  then,  we  pitched  our  camp  ; and  the  jerking 
and  drying  of  the  meat,  the  heavy  rains,  with  the 
repairs  required  by  the  wagon,  occupied  so  much 
time  that  we  were  long  delayed  at  this  place.  Our 
guide  would  go  no  farther ; he  promised,  however, 
to  find  a substitute,  and  was  as  good  as  his  word. 
At  the  expiration  of  a very  few  hours  he  brought 
to  take  his  place  a fine  elderly  Bushman,  who  had 
the  most  benevolent  countenance  I ever  saw.  This 
man  conducted  us  to  another  werft,  distant  about  a 
day’s  journey  and  a half.  Indications  of  elephants, 
which  had  lately  been  scarce,  now  became  numerous ; 
so,  in  order  to  keep  the  natives  in  good-humor,  as 
also,  if  possible,  to  divert  their  thoughts  from  what 
they  might  deem  the  motives  of  my  journey,  I start- 
ed on  another  hunt,  which  gave  me  no  satisfaction, 

o 


210  AN  ELEPHANT  STRUCK  BY  LIGHTNING. 

for,  though  I once  succeeded  in  coming  up  with  a 
good-sized  bull,  and  even  got  a shot  at  him,  the 
chase  proved  a failure. 

While  a party  of  Bushmen  were  following  up  the 
spoor  of  this  wounded  beast,  they  came  upon  the 
carcass  of  a she-elephant  who  had  been  struck  dead 
by  lightning.  This  was  the  first  instance  I had 
known  of  these  huge  creatures  being  destroyed  by 
the  electric  fluid,  though  it  often  occasions  the  death 
of  the  smaller  kind  of  game.  The  natives,  how- 
ever, assured  me  that  the  occurrence  was  not  at  all 
an  infrequent  one  during  the  rainy  season.  They 
had  once  stumbled,  they  told  me,  upon  the  remains 
of  a full-grown  male,  whose  head  had  been  com- 
pletely severed  from  his  body  by  a thunder-stroke, 
and  all  his  bones  completely  smashed. 

As  we  traveled  along,  we  observed,  from  time  to 
time,  several  trees  quite  new  to  us,  some  fruit-bear- 
ing, others  simply  forest-trees.  Of  the  former,  one 
bore  a dark  green  fruit  as  large  as  an  orange,  and 
nearly,  when  ripe,  of  the  same  color.  Its  shell  or 
rind  is  of  moderate  thickness,  the  whole  of  the  in- 
side consisting  of  a kind  of  pulp,  in  which  a great 
number  of  fleshy  seeds  or  kernels  are  imbedded, 
which  the  natives  roast  in  hot  ashes  and  eat  with 
their  meat.  When  unripe  these  kernels  are  bitter 
and  unpalatable,  but  in  their  mature  state  they  are 
good  food,  and  their  scent  is  delicious.  Essential 
oil  might  probably  be  expressed  from  them ; indeed, 
the  Bushmen  extract  from  this  fruit  a fattish  kind 


MONOTONY  OF  FOREST  TRAVELING. 


211 


of  matter  which  they  use  as  an  ointment  for  their 
bodies. 

Of  the  forest-trees  I noticed,  there  was  one  in 
particular  that  attracted  attention  from  its  hand- 
some foliage  and  huge  dimensions.  We  encamped 
one  day  under  the  wide-spreading  branches  of  one 
of  them,  which  was,  as  we  found  by  measurement, 
fifteen  feet  three  inches  in  circumference.  Its  leaves 
look  at  a little  distance  like  those  of  a species  of 
birch,  indigenous  to  northern  Europe,  called  “hang- 
ing” birch  ; its  masses  of  foliage  are,  however,  dif- 
ferently disposed.  Many  of  these  trees  have  large 
natural  hollows  in  their  trunks,  which,  during  sev- 
eral months  of  the  year,  serve  as  reservoirs  for  rain- 
water. This  peculiarity  greatly  benefits  the  natives, 
and  I myself  have  frequently  quenched  my  thirst 
from  these  singular  cavities.  The  water  thus  ob- 
tained is  sucked  up  through  reeds  or  long  hollow 
grass-stalks.  Few  and  far  between,  however,  was 
aught  to  excite  curiosity.  On  the  whole,  the  land- 
scape was  monotonous  in  the  extreme.  Indeed, 
nothing  can  be  conceived  more  dreary  and  desolate 
than  traveling  through  interminable  forests,  where, 
whether  one  ascends  the  highest  hill  or  mounts  the 
loftiest  tree,  he  can  see  but  a few  hundred  yards  be- 
fore him.  We  could  not,  like  the  outlaws  of  the 
forest  of  Ardennes,  recline 

“ Under  an  oak,  whose  antique  roots  peep  out 
Upon  the  brook  that  brawls  along  the  wood.” 

It  had  rained  abundantly ; pools  of  rain-water, 


212 


ELEPHANTS  AS  THICK  AS  CATTLE. 


some  of  considerable  capacity,  were  numerous  ; and 
having  bivouacked  one  night  by  one  of  them,  we 
were  surprised  on  the  ensuing  morning  to  find  the 
trail  of  a good-sized  male  elephant.  Strange  to  say, 
neither  dogs  nor  men  had  been  aware  of  his  pres- 
ence, though  he  had  quenched  his  thirst  within  easy 
gunshot  of  the  wagon.  I determined,  therefore,  our 
new  guides  being  a very  suspicious  and  discontent- 
ed set,  to  put  these  grumbling  fellows  into  a better 
humor  by  killing,  if  possible,  this  animal,  which 
might  induce  them  to  conduct  us  to  some  Bushman 
werft  in  advance.  Fortunately  my  efforts  were 
crowned  with  success,  for,  after  a tedious  and  intri- 
cate tracking,  we  sighted  the  brute,  and  not  long 
afterward  he  received  my  first  shot.  At  the  second 
discharge  he  fell,  but,  though  unable  to  move  from 
the  spot,  he  rose  to  his  feet,  and  before  life  was 
quite  extinct  seven  more  bullets  were  lodged  in  his 
body.  This  fact  was  not  remarkable,  for  it  frequent- 
ly happens  that  an  elephant  seriously  wounded  will 
patiently  receive  broadside  upon  broadside  without 
exhibiting  the  least  symptom  of  distress  beyond  that 
occasioned  by  the  first  wound.  One  might,  there- 
fore, leave  the  moribund  brute  to  die  a lingering 
death ; but  I could  never  endure  the  sight  of  an  ani- 
mal in  pain.  There  is,  besides,  some  danger  in  such 
case  of  losing  one’s  game,  for  it  sometimes  happens 
that  he  will  temporarily  recover  and  walk  off. 

A very  remarkable  instance  of  this  fell  within  my 
own  experience.  One  night  I had  brought  down 


THEIR  TRUMPETINGS  AT  NIGHT. 


213 


a very  large  elephant,  who,  after  lying  on  his  side 
above  half  an  hour  apparently  quite  dead,  sudden- 
ly rose  to  his  feet  and  made  off.  I killed  this  ani- 
mal ten  days  afterward  on  almost  the  same  spot 
where  he  had  first  fallen,  and  identified  him  by  his 
wounds,  and  more  especially  by  a piece  of  ivory 
that  had  been  broken  off  from  one  of  his  tusks  on 
the  first  encounter. 

I had  often  heard  the  natives  say,  on  being  ques- 
tioned about  the  haunts  of  elephants,  that  in  such 
or  such  a locality  4 4 they  walked  about  as  thick  as 
cattle,  ” but  never  till  now  had  I been  able  to  verify 
this  apparently  exaggerated  statement.  I did  so 
at  present,  for  the  whole  country  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  vley  lately  referred  to,  with  the  adjacent 
plains,  was  literally  one  net-work  of  elephants1  foot- 
prints. The  trees  and  bushes,  moreover,  were  so 
broken  down  and  trampled  by  their  inroads,  that 
one  might  fairly  suppose  a large  army  had  just 
traversed  the  veldt.  During  the  daytime  the  an- 
imals were  not  visible,  but  at  night  their  shrill 
trumpetings  would  frequently  startle  us  from  our 
sleep.  If,  instead  of  exploring,  I had  turned  my 
attention  exclusively  to  elephant-hunting,  I might 
have  had  magnificent  sport  and  profit  too.  The 
temptation  to  do  so  was  strong,  but  I considered 
it  ignoble,  however  great  the  allurements  I had  to 
resist,  to  swerve  from  a predetermined  purpose  for 
the  sake  of  gain  and  personal  gratification. 


214 


DIFFICULTIES  INCREASED. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

The  Difficulty  of  finding  Way  and  Water  increased. — Guides 
decamp. — Conflicting  Opinions  about  the  Road  to  the  River. 
— I leave  the  Wagon  to  explore  the  Country. — The  Capture 
of  a whole  Werft  of  Bushmen. — Two  of  them  compelled  to 
be  Guides. — Tied  together  as  Prisoners. — A Native  Woman 
captured. — A Werft  of  twenty  or  thirty  Huts. — Conversa- 
tion with  the  Chief  of  the  Hamlet. — Reach  Ombongo. — A 
periodical  Water-course. — Great  Anxiety  as  I approach  the 
Water,  Bushmen  have  often  so  contradictorily  described. — 
Was  it  merely  a Valley  periodically  filled  with  Water,  or  a 
mighty  River  ? — Our  Guides  hide  their  Arrows  in  the  Trees 
from  fear  of  Robbery  by  the  Ovaquangari. — I perceive  on 
the  far-away  Horizon  a distinct  dark  blue  Line. — I recognize 
at  once  a great  River. — This  River  called  by  the  Natives 
the  Okavango. — Reflections,  Description,  Conjectures. 

After  the  necessary  delays  occasioned  by  cutting 
up  and  drying  our  meat,  etc.,  we  continued  to  jour- 
ney on,  the  bush  becoming,  if  possible,  more  and 
more  dense,  harassing,  and  retarding  to  our  march. 
It  would  be  wearisome  to  dwell  on  our  wretched 
progress ; while,  to  add  to  our  embarrassment,  our 
discontented  and  suspicious  guides  threatened  to 
leave  us.  It  was,  however,  to  us  of  the  utmost  im- 
portance at  present  to  retain  their  services,  as  the 
difficulty  of  finding  both  way  and  water  increased 
daily.  I therefore  earnestly  requested  them  to  stay 
with  us,  at  least  till  other  Bushmen  could  be  found. 


THE  WAY  LOST. 


215 


But  no  persuasions  or  offers  of  handsome  rewards 
could  induce  them  to  remain ; and  one  day  they 
unexpectedly  decamped,  leaving  us  to  grope  out 
our  way  as  best  we  could. 

Elephant  paths  now  became  exceedingly  numer- 
ous, crossing  and  recrossing  the  country  in  every 
possible  direction.  Sometimes  half  a dozen  or 
more  of  these  paths  might  be  seen  converging  to- 
ward some  particular  point,  i.  e .,  a vley ; it  was  im- 
possible, therefore,  to  know  how  to  select  the  proper 
one.  Yet  we  dared  not  neglect  them  altogether,  as 
by  following  them  on  we  could  alone  find  water. 
At  one  time  one  of  these  tracks  actually  led  us  back 
toward  Damara  Land.  This,  however,  would  have 
mattered  little  had  I known  the  exact  course  to 
pursue ; but  the  Bushmen  had  so  contradicted  each 
other’s  statements  that  I felt  completely  puzzled. 
At  times  these  perplexing  conductors  would  point 
to  the  north,  at  others  to  the  N.E.,  and  some  even 
said  that  due  east  was  our  proper  route  for  finding 
the  river.  In  this  uncertainty,  cruising  about  day 
after  day  in  the  intricate  bush  with  our  cumbersome 
vehicle  was  distressing  in  the  extreme ; I therefore, 
after  a while,  determined  on  leaving  the  wagon  at 
some  vley,  and  proceeding  with  a few  draught  and 
carriage  oxen  ahead,  to  explore  the  country,  and,  if 
possible,  discover  the  river. 

To  dispatch  this  business  quickly,  with  some 
chance  of  success,  I packed  up  the  smallest  quan- 
tity of  necessaries  possible,  and,  selecting  a few  of 


216 


A WERFT  CAPTURED. 


the  most  light-footed  and  enduring  of  my  native 
attendants,  started  on  the  expedition.  That  same 
day,  at  about  sunset,  we  perceived  a small  column 
of  smoke  issuing  from  a cluster  of  trees,  and  by 
sending  part  of  my  people  in  a roundabout  way  in 
advance,  we  succeeded  in  capturing  all  the  inmates 
of  a small  Bushman  werft.  The  whole  party  cap- 
tured consisted  but  of  a few  women  and  children 
and  two  or  three  grown-up  men.  The  poor  people 
were  of  course  desperately  frightened,  but  I soon 
pacified  them  by  presents  of  meat  and  tobacco. 
Thinking  it  unadvisable  at  the  time  to  make  any 
mention  of  my  need  of  guides,  I merely  gave  them 
to  understand  that  I was  en  route  for  the  river.  I 
was  determined,  however,  should  they  not  decamp 
during  the  night,  to  secure  a couple  of  the  men  on 
the  following  morning.  My  mode  of  proceeding 
answered  well,  for  at  an  early  hour  the  next  day, 
on  going  to  their  werft  (we  bivouacked  at  a pool 
of  water  hard  by),  we  found  them  enjoying  them- 
selves, in  all  security,  by  a roaring  fire.  Without  a 
moment’s  delay  I ordered  two  of  them  to  rise  and 
to  accompany  us.  They  were  extremely  loth  to 
comply,  but  I soon  gave  them  to  understand  that 
obey  they  must — that  they  had  no  alternative. 

After  several  hours’  smart  traveling  we  halted  at 
a fine  vley  of  water  and  partook  of  some  refresh- 
ment. Before  we  had  quite  finished  our  humble 
meal  the  Bushmen  rose,  saying  they  were  return- 
ing to  their  home,  at  the  same  time  pointing  to  an 


AN  UNPLEASANT  ATTACHMENT. 


217 


elephant  path  as  our  route.  But  this  would  never 
do ; so,  springing  at  once  to  my  feet,  I seized  and 
secured  one  of  the  fellows,  who  then  reluctantly 
consented  to  accompany  us.  Now  the  office  of 
guide  is  naturally  to  lead  the  way,  but  it  is  an  ex- 
tremely difficult  thing  to  induce  an  African  aborig- 
inal to  proceed  ahead  of  a party ; he  takes  always 
every  possible  occasion  to  loiter  behind ; therefore, 
dreading  the  consequence  of  allowing  the  man  his 
liberty,  I hit  upon  the  following  expedient  to  pre- 
vent his  absconding.  I fastened  his  right  hand  to 
the  wrist  of  the  left  hand  of  one  of  my  attendants, 
leaving  rather  more  than  three  feet  of  thong  be- 
tween them,  so  as  not  to  embarrass  their  move- 
ments. The  Bushman  was  then  ordered  to  pro- 
ceed, and,  in  order  to  prevent  all  chance  of  escape, 
I followed  close  at  his  heels.  The  man  was  in  a 
desperate  fright,  and  stopped  repeatedly,  begging 
hard  to  be  let  loose,  but  I turned,  of  course,  a deaf 
ear  to  all  his  entreaties. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  of  this  day  we  came  upon 
several  pretty  fresh  tracks  of  Bushmen,  and,  follow- 
ing them  steadily  up,  espied  after  a while  a woman 
digging  for  roots.  She  was  soon  secured,  but  until 
addressed  by  our  guide  (whtfm  I had  now  set  at  lib- 
erty) she  was  in  great  trepidation.  Five  minutes1 
farther  walk  brought  us  to  a werft  consisting  of  be- 
tween twenty  and  thirty  huts. 

While  my  men  were  here  making  every  thing 
snug  for  the  night,  I had  some  conversation  with 


218 


ANXIOUS  DOUBTS. 


the  chief  of  the  place,  a fine,  intelligent  young  fel- 
low. He  told  us  that  by  smart  traveling  we  might 
reach  the  river  in  a day  and  a half.  This  was 
cheerful  news,  the  more  so  as  he  promised  to  con- 
duct us  thither  personally.  I lay  down  to  rest  con- 
sequently that  night  more  contented  than  I had 
been  for  many  a day,  and  in  much  better  spirits. 

On  the  next  morning  we  were  stirring  early. 
About  noon  we  reached  an  omuramba  called  Om- 
bongo,  the  first  real  periodical  water-course  we  had 
met  with  for  a distance  of  more  than  150  miles. 
At  this  point  this  course  ran  in  a nearly  northern 
direction.  In  its  bed  we  found  several  fine  vleys 
of  water,  and  even  some  natural  springs,  the  first 
we  had  seen  since  leaving  the  calcareous  tufa  spoken 
of  in  the  preceding  pages.  We  halted  here  for 
about  an  hour  and  a half,  and  then  continued  our 
journey  till  sunset,  when  we  pitched  our  camp  for 
the  night. 

The  following  day  was  to  solve  the  problem  that 
had  so  long  engaged  all  my  thoughts,  and  which 
was  to  mark  a momentous  crisis,  not  only  in  my 
present  travels,  but  also  in  my  entire  life.  I felt, 
therefore,  considerable  anxiety  about  the  description 
of  river  I was  on  the  eve  of  discovering.  Some 
Bushmen  we  had  encountered  in  our  wanderings 
had  positively  spoken  of  it  as  a mere  omuramba, 
i.  e.,  a kind  of  deeply  depressed  valley,  with  a suc- 
cession of  vleys  periodically  filled  with  water,  while 
others  had  asserted  that  it  was  a permanent  stream, 


HIDING  ARROWS. 


219 


traversed  by  the  natives  in  canoes,  and  abounding 
in  hippopotami,  fish,  and  alligators.  I dreaded  lest 
the  first  of  these  accounts  should  turn  out  correct, 
for  in  that  case  all  the  great  expense  incurred,  and 
the  immense  amount  of  labor  lavished  on  its  dis- 
covery, would  prove  valueless  and  abortive. 

At  break  of  day  we  were  afoot,  but,  the  morning 
air  being  raw  and  sharp,  I had  at  first  some  diffi- 
culty in  getting  the  guides  along.  After  about  six 
hours’  journeying  at  a rapid  rate,  these  Bushmen 
suddenly  stopped  short,  and  each  of  them,  drawing 
from  his  quiver  two  or  three  arrows,  carefully  con- 
cealed them  among  the  trees.  On  demanding  an 
explanation  of  this  singular  proceeding,  I was  sim- 
ply told  that  the  Ovaquangari  were  a very  unscru- 
pulous set  of  men,  who,  whenever  they  thought 
themselves  strong  enough,  would  take  forcible  pos- 
session of  any  thing  that  struck  their  fancy;  apd 
as  the  concealed  missiles  were  new,  and  of  some 
value  to  the  Bushmen,  they  wrere,  they  said,  loth  to 
lose  them.  They  also  warned  me  to  be  on  my  guard, 
as  the  natives,  whose  villages  we  were  now  fast  ap- 
proaching, were  fierce  and  savage.  This  was  an  old 
tale,  and,  though  I did  not  despise  the  warning,  I 
conjectured  that  our  sudden  and  unannounced  ar- 
rival among  them  would  cause  rather  fright  and 
consternation  than  any  demonstration  of  hostility 
on  their  part. 

After  this  little  delay  we  again  proceeded,  but 
had  not  gone  far  before  I perceived  on  the  far-away 


220 


THE  OKAVANGO. 


horizon  a distinct  dark  blue  line.  44  Ah  ha !”  I ex- 
claimed to  myself,  44  in  the  valley  of  which  that  line 
evidently  forms  the  border,  there  is  surely  some- 
thing more  than  a mere  periodical  water-course.  ” 
A few  minutes  afterward,  catching  a glimpse  of  an 
immense  sheet  of  water  in  the  distance,  my  antici- 
pation was  realized  to  its  utmost.  A cry  of  joy 
and  satisfaction  escaped  me  at  this  glorious  sight. 
Twenty  minutes  more  brought  us  to  the  banks  of  a 
truly  noble  river,  at  this  point  at  least  200  yards 
wide.  This  was,  then,  in  all  probability,  the  Mu- 
kuru  Mukovanja  of  the  Ovambo,  which  these  peo- 
ple had  given  us  to  understand  flowed  westward. 
Taking  it  for  granted  that  their  statement  was  in 
this  respect  correct,  I had  stood  some  time  by  the 
water  before  I became  aware  of  my  mistake.  44  By 
heavens !”  I suddenly  exclaimed,  4 4 the  water  flows 
toward  the  heart  of  the  continent  instead  of  empty- 
ing itself  into  the  Atlantic  !”  For  a moment  I felt 
amazed  at  the  discovery.  “East!”  I continued  to 
soliloquize;  4 4 why,  what  stream  can  this  then  be, 
in  this  latitude  and  longitude?  Tioughe?  No; 
that  channel  alone  is  much  too  insignificant  to  form 
the  outlet  for  such  a mighty  flow  of  water.  Well, 
then,  it  must  be  one  of  the  chief  branches  of  that 
magnificent  river,  the  Chobe.”  This  was  my  first 
impression,  which  was  to  some  extent  corroborated 
by  the  natives,  who  described  this  river,  called  by 
the  Ovaquangari  4 4 Okavango,1’  as  forking  off  in 
two  directions  in  the  neighborhood  of  Libebe,  one 


IS  IT  A BRANCH  OF  THE  CHOBE?  221 

branch  forming  the  said  Tioughe,  the  other  finding 
its  way  to  the  Chobe.  But,  on  more  mature  con- 
sideration, I strongly  question  the  correctness  both 
of  my  own  impression  and  of  the  account  of  the  na- 
tives. 

It  is  true  Dr.  Livingstone,  in  one  of  his  earl}7 
maps,  lays  down  a river  as  coming  from  Libebe 
toward  Sekeletu’s  town ; and  I myself,  when  at 
Lake  Ngami,  heard  of  a water  communication  ex- 
isting between  these  two  places.  But  as  the 
Tioughe  is  known  to  send  out  a branch  toward 
Chobe  considerably  below  Libebe,  i.  e .,  south  of  it, 
called  Dzo,  it  is  just  possible  that  this  is  the  stream 
alluded  to  by  the  natives.  Furthermore,  the  coun- 
try for  a great  distance  about  Libebe,  is  known  to 
abound  in  immense  marshes ; it  is  probable,  there- 
fore, that  the  Okavango,  though  of  such  large  di- 
mensions, is  more  or  less  swallowed  up  in  these  ex- 
tensive swamps,  leaving  merely  sufficient  water  for 
the  formation  of  the  Tioughe  and  its  inundations. 
Unquestionably  Dr.  Livingstone,  if  he  succeeds  in 
revisiting  Sekeletu’s  town,  will  be  able  to  settle  this 
question. 


222 


TERROR  OF  THE  OVAQUANGARI. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

The  Terror  of  the  Ovaquangari  on  our  Approach. — The  Na- 
tives cross  the  River  in  several  Canoes,  armed  to  the  Teeth. 
— Ordered  to  lay  aside  their  Weapons  and  talk  peaceably. 
— The  Difficulty  of  communicating  with  them  in  the  Ovam- 
bo  Language. — They  are  made  to  understand  the  Object 
of  our  Visit. — The  Chief  sends  us  Food. — I make  known 
my  Intention  to  visit  the  paramount  Chief,  Chikongo  by 
name. — Dispatch  a Messenger  to  him. — He  intimates  a Wish 
to  see  me. — A suitable  Conveyance  refused. — Procured  at 
last  by  threatening  to  leave  the  Country. — A Sail  on  the 
Okavango. —The  Boatman  a great  Blackguard. — Shows  the 
white  Man  as  a wild  Beast  to  crowds  of  Natives. — The 
Women  exceedingly  ugly. — The  River  described. — Hippo- 
potami and  Alligators. — Picturesque  Landscape. — Modes 
of  catching  Fish. — Bivouac  under  a Tree,  with  the  Wind  for 
a Bedfellow. — Description  of  a Werft. — All  the  Chiefs  of 
the  Nation  assemble  to  meet  me. — Portrait  of  Chikongo. — 
His  Hospitality. — The  Makololo.  — Dr.  Livingstone’s  At- 
tempts to  civilize  this  People  unsuccessful. 

All  the  villages  and  cultivated  lands  of  the 
Ovaquangari  being  situated  on  the  north  bank  of 
the  river,  there  was  no  access  to  them  except  by 
means  of  canoes.  For  these  we  had  to  wait,  and, 
while  doing  so,  the  natives  perceived  our  approach, 
upon  which,  as  I had  anticipated,  a general  panic 
ensued.  The  children  and  women  set  up  a most 
piteous  howl,  and  the  men  ran  about  shouting  like 


THE  NATIVES  CROSS  THE  RIVER.  223 

maniacs.  Each  village,  or  rather  homestead,  was 
invariably  within  easy  hail  of  its  neighbor;  our 
sudden  arrival,  therefore,  was  announced  through- 
out the  country  with  almost  the  same  speed  as  a 
telegram  would  convey  a message. 

A number  of  men  were  soon  seen  collecting  on 
the  opposite  bank,  and,  many  questions  and  an- 
swers having  been  interchanged  with  the  Bushmen, 
a canoe  was  put  out,  and  shortly  afterward  we 
saw  our  friends  transferred  to  the  opposite  shore, 
where  no  doubt  they  were  closely  questioned  about 
the  strangers. 

After  about  two  hours1  conversation  with  our 
guides,  the  Ovaquangari  seemed  to  be  in  some  de- 
gree satisfied;  for,  at  the  expiration  of  that  time, 
several  canoes  full  of  men  were  observed  issuing 
from  the  reeds  and  advancing  toward  us.  Having 
landed  at  some  little  distance  below  our  camp,  these 
men,  armed  to  the  teeth,  came  on  with  great  cir- 
cumspection. And  as  my  party  was  small  and  no 
match  for  such  numbers,  I,  after  exchanging  a few 
words  with  them,  ordered  our  new  acquaintances 
to  lay  aside  their  weapons,  when,  I said,  we  could 
talk  peaceably  together.  The  head  man  of  the  sur- 
rounding homesteads  was  among  them — a remark- 
ably fine-looking  savage,  with  a countenance  stamp- 
ed with  good  sense  and  intelligence.  But,  indeed, 
all  the  men  were  tall,  well-built  fellows,  richly  be- 
daubed with  grease  and  ochre,  the  wealthier  being 
also  profusely  covered  over  with  iron  and  bead 
ornaments. 


224 


THEIR  HOSPITALITY. 


The  Bushmen  had  given  us  to  understand  that 
these  people  spoke  a dialect  of  the  Ovaherero ; I 
had  therefore  flattered  myself  that  our  interview 
would  prove  both  easy  and  profitable,  but  soon  dis- 
covered that  it  might  not  be  so  satisfactory  as  I 
had  anticipated.  Indeed,  though  many  of  the  na- 
tives understood  a little  of  the  Damara  language, 
it  was  evident  that  their  tongue  was  identical  with 
that  of  the  Ovambo.  Notwithstanding,  however, 
this  disadvantage,  we  quickly  made  them  under- 
stand that  the  object  of  our  visit  was  simply  to  see 
and  explore  the  country,  and  that,  above  all,  toward 
themselves  we  entertained  no  sentiments  but  those 
of  peace  and  good-will. 

Our  broken  conversation  having  lasted  for  some 
time,  the  chief  rose,  saying  that,  as  we  might  be 
hungry,  he  would  return  to  his  werft  and  get  us 
some  food.  I felt  thankful  for  this  proffered  sup- 
ply, as  our  own  scanty  stock  was  all  but  exhausted. 
The  promised  fare,  however,  was  not  forthcoming 
till  the  following  day,  when  we  were  presented  with 
four  or  five  small  baskets  of  meal,  some  fresh  ripe 
mealies,  several  pumpkins,  and  a cow.  The  vege- 
tables especially  were  very  acceptable,  for,  to  speak 
the  truth,  dry  elephant  flesh  had  been  for  the  last 
two  months  our  principal  nutriment. 

The  great  chief  of  the  nation  we  were  now 
among,  Chikongo  by  name,  resided  at  a considera- 
ble distance  to  the  southward  of  the  point  where 
I first  struck  the  river.  To  him  a messenger  was 


THE  CHIEF  CHIKONGO.  225 

dispatched  on  the  day  we  reached  the  Ovango,  to 
apprise  him  of  our  arrival  in  his  dominions,  which 
expressed,  at  the  same  time,  my  desire  to  have  an 
interview  with  his  highness.  To  this  message  an 
answer  was  received  in  the  afternoon  of  the  third 
day.  The  chief  intimated  a wish  to  see  and  speak 
with  me  at  his  werft,  as  he  was  not  able,  he  said, 
to  make  me  a visit  in  person.  Being,  therefore, 
really  anxious  to  see  the  man,  I at  once  acceded  to 
his  request.  On  demanding,  however,  whether  suit- 
able conveyances  had  been  provided  for  myself  and 
party,  I was  unceremoniously  informed  that  I must 
go  on  foot.  But  that  I was  not  at  all  disposed  to 
do,  and  told  the  messengers  that  I would  not  visit 
their  chief  in  so  beggarly  a way.  “Well,  there  are 
no  canoes  for  you,”  was  the  reply.  “Very  good,” 
I rejoined ; “if  you  do  not  choose  to  convey  me  to 
my  destination  in  a proper  manner,  I shall  at  once 
retrace  my  steps  f adding,  “that  no  doubt  Chikon- 
go  would  be  much  displeased  at  such  a result  of 
my  visit  to  his  country.”  At  this  remark  they 
laughed  outright,  telling  me,  in  plain  terms,  that 
though  Chikongo  was  the  head  of  the  nation,  every 
man  was  captain  of  his  own  homestead  and  master 
of  his  own  property.  This  independence  was  no 
doubt  very  fine,  but  showed  but  little  respect  for 
their  chief,  whose  influence  over  the  tribe  I natu- 
rally concluded  to  be  very  limited.  Such,  indeed, 
was  the  case,  and  is  almost  universally  so  with  re- 
spect to  the  great  heads  of  tribes  throughout  Africa. 

P 


226 


A THREAT. 


One  hears  of  such  and  such  a chief  being  very  pow- 
erful ; from  certain  established  customs,  and,  above 
all,  by  the  support  of  the  principal  men  of  his  na- 
tion, he  may  be  so ; if,  however,  he  neglects  them, 
he  is  left  to  his  fate,  which  is  too  frequently  assas- 
sination. 

To  return  to  my  story.  My  determined  language 
had  ultimately  the  effect  of  procuring  me  the  prom- 
ise of  two  canoes ; these  were  to  be  placed  at  my 
disposal  at  an  early  hour  on  the  following  morn- 
ing. At  break  of  day,  therefore,  I was  stirring,  but 
neither  men  nor  canoes  appeared.  Patience  is  a 
virtue  that  should  be  especially  cultivated  by  the 
African  traveler;  but  that  desirable  quality  failed 
me  in  the  present  instance,  and  I angrily  dispatch- 
ed one  of  my  servants  to  hasten  the  men  on,  with  a 
threat  that  in  case  they  disappointed  me  I should 
decidedly,  as  I had  already  declared,  leave  the  coun- 
try without  farther  delay.  Suiting  my  actions  to 
my  words,  I thereupon  ordered  up  the  oxen,  and 
began  to  make  preparations  for  a start  “home- 
ward.” This,  as  all  our  operations  could  be  seen 
from  the  opposite  bank,  had  the  desired  effect.  In 
double-quick  time  one  of  the  promised  canoes  made 
its  appearance — only  one ; and  it  was  a dirty,  nar- 
row little  dingy,  not  capable  of  holding  more  than 
my  few  “traps,”  myself,  and  the  paddle-man.  I 
felt  annoyed  at  the  bad  faith  of  the  natives,  yet,  as 
any  altercation  would  only  have  caused  additional 
delay,  I put  the  best  face  I could  on  the  matter, 


THE  WHITE  MAN  A SHOW. 


THE  WHITE  MAN  A SHOW. 


229 


and  at  once  embarked.  The  Bechuana  lad,  Tom, 
was  my  only  attendant,  and  he,  together  with  the 
chief’s  men,  took  an  overland  route,  a place  of 
rendezvous  having  been  previously  fixed  upon  be- 
tween us. 

My  boatman  was  a stout,  sturdy  fellow,  but  a 
great  blackguard.  The  stream  on  which  we  had 
embarked  has  rather  a rapid  flow,  estimated  at  from 
two  and  a half  to  three  miles  per  hour ; by  keeping 
within  its  current,  great  progress  might  consequent- 
ly have  been  made.  But  this  did  not  suit  the  views 
of  my  boatman,  who,  in  order,  he  said,  to  avoid  hip- 
popotami, kept  poking  the  canoe  among  reeds  and 
shallows,  stopping  at  every  spot  where  he  had  a 
friend  or  acquaintance,  and  calling  out,  at  the  top 
of  his  voice,  to  the  inhabitants  far  and  near  to  come 
and  have  a look  at  the  white  man.  Thus  very  fre- 
quently twenty  or  thirty  people  might  be  seen  issu- 
ing from  a single  homestead  to  have  a stare  at  me. 
The  whole  scene  reminded  me  of  visitors  to  a men- 
agerie stopping  outside  some  wild  beast’s  den  curi- 
ously to  examine  the  monster.  On  these  occasions 
I had  favorable  opportunities  of  surveying  the  fair 
sex.  I found  them  an  exceedingly  ugly-looking 
lot — thick-.set,  square,  with  clumsy  figures,  bull-dog 
lips,  and  broad,  flat  faces.  Even  without  the  grease 
and  ochre,  so  delicious  and  ornamental  to  the  body 
in  the  opinion  of  all  savages,  some  of  the  females 
would  have  been  perfectly  hideous.  With  their 
crisp  woolly  hair  standing  erect  in  little  tangled 


230 


A ROW  ON  THE  RIVER. 


knots,  they  might,  had  their  countenances  been 
more  animated  and  intelligent,  have  been  reckoned 
good  models  for  the  Furies. 

Notwithstanding  the  little  annoyances  I have 
mentioned,  I enjoyed  the  trip  very  much.  After 
traversing  for  so  many  years  the  eternal  “deserts” 
of  Damara  and  Namaqua  Land,  the  sight  of  so 
much  water  was  naturally  very  welcome ; besides, 
as  in  my  native  country  I had  from  infancy  been 
accustomed  to  navigating  rivers  and  lakes  of  the 
first  magnitude,  a row  on  this  truly  fine  stream 
could  not  but  be  delightful.  It  had  at  this  point  a 
remarkably  straight  course,  winding  nevertheless  in 
short  curves,  here  and  there,  in  many  places,  while 
its  width  did  not  fall  short  of  three  hundred  yards. 
Occasionally  little  islands — the  favorite  resort  of 
hippopotami  and  alligators — were  seen  emerging 
from  its  bosom,  a clear  channel  of  deep  water,  at 
least  one  hundred  yards  broad,  being  always  on  the 
one  side  or  the  other  of  them.  The  surrounding 
landscape  was  not  particularly  striking,  but,  on  the 
whole,  pretty  and  effective ; indeed,  many  parts  af- 
forded a positively  picturesque  scenery.  The  higher 
parts  of  the  valley  were  luxuriantly  covered  with 
tall,  handsome,  dark-foliaged  forest-trees,  beautiful- 
ly set  off  by  the  lighter  vegetation  of  the  lower 
grounds,  where  vast  corn-fields,  interspersed  with 
occasional  huge  wild  fruit-trees,  groups  of  acacias, 
etc.,  spread  pleasantly  before  the  eye.  The  north 
bank  of  the  river,  with  very  few  exceptions,  was 


LANDSCAPE. 


231 


alone  cultivated;  yet  I do  not  think  this  inferred 
inferiority  in  the  productive  qualities  of  the  other 
bank,  but  simply  fear  of  foreign  invasions.  The 
soil  was  composed  of  fine  sand  and  clay  thorough- 
ly intermixed,  the  underlying  rock  of  the  country, 
consisting  of  calcareous  tufa,  being  strongly  impreg- 
nated with  iron.  The  rocks,  however,  were  rarely 
visible,  never  except  in  the  immediate  neighbor- 
hood of  the  river,  where  the  strength  of  the  current 
had  probably  removed  the  overlying  strata  of  sand. 
These  rock-ledges  were  invariably  luxuriantly  over- 
grown with  rank  and  varied  growths  of  sea-weeds 
gracefully  overhanging  the  stream,  which  washed 
and  sprinkled  them  as  it  swept  by  the  rocks1  base 
with  a purling  and  meandering  murmur.  Addi- 
tional attractions  were  given  to  many  parts  of  the 
river  by  great  numbers  of  water-fowl,  especially  of 
ducks  and  geese.  One  species  of  the  latter  struck 
us  from  its  gigantic  size,  the  goose  standing  when 
erect,  as  far  as  I could  judge,  at  least  four  feet  high, 
while  its  body  certainly  looked  as  large  as  that  of  a 
good-sized  terrier  dog. 

Fish  abounded,  and  the  natives  employed  vari- 
ous means  for  capturing  them.  I was  much  struck 
by  the  resemblance  of  their  toils  to  those  used  by 
the  fishermen  of  the  north  of  Europe.  But  more 
of  this  hereafter. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  we  landed,  and  encamped 
for  the  night  under  a noble  sycamore,  measuring 
(five  feet  from  off  the  ground)  twenty-five  feet  in 


232 


THE  WIND  A BEDFELLOW. 


circumference.  We  could  not  possibly  have  select- 
ed (though,  to  be  sure,  we  had  no  choice  in  the  pres- 
ent instance)  a worse  spot  for  bivouacking;  for, 
though  the  trunk  afforded  some  protection,  the 
wind,  on  this  cold,  blowy  night,  swept  round  the 
sides  of  the  tree  in  eddies,  one  current  of  air  pass- 
ing down  our  backs  and  another  up  our  legs.  To 
add  to  our  discomfort,  not  a stick  of  fuel  was  to  be 
had,  and  that  villain,  the  boatman,  would  not  budge 
an  inch  to  help  us  until  compelled  by  force.  Some 
coarse  meal  and  hot  porridge,  presented  to  us  by 
the  inmates  of  a neighboring  village,  constituted 
our  supper.  This  meal  finished,  we  at  once  resign- 
ed ourselves  to  sleep. 

On  the  following  morning  we  were  early  stirring, 
but  were  unexpectedly  informed  that  we  must  have 
the  permission  of  Chikongo  before  we  could  pro- 
ceed farther.  Now,  as  this  gentleman’s  residence 
was  still  far  off,  I remonstrated  strongly  against 
this  hinderance ; and  fortunately,  after  a delay  of 
about  an  hour  and  a half,  we  were  allowed  to  re- 
sume our  onward  course. 

Between  ten  and  eleven  o’clock  A.  M.  we  reached 
our  destination.  We  were  not,  however,  permitted 
to  land  at  the  village ; so,  while  waiting  for  instruc- 
tions, Tom  and  I set  about  preparing  a light  break- 
fast, which  we  had  hardly  time  to  dispatch  when 
orders  arrived  for  us  to  present  ourselves  before  the 
chief.  Five  minutes’  walk  brought  us  to  a werft — 
a most  filthy,  poverty-stricken,  miserable -looking 


A KING  OF  SAVAGES. 


* 233 


burrow.  It  consisted  of  a great  number  of  low 
huts,  constructed  in  the  bee-hive  fashion,  crowded 
into  a very  limited  space,  each  hut  being  partition- 
ed off  from  its  neighbor,  and  surrounded  by  verti- 
cally placed  mattings,  made  of  thin  split  wood,  pre- 
cisely similar  to  those  manufactured  by  the  peas- 
antry of  the  north  of  Sweden  for  the  purpose  of 
being  converted  into  panniers.  Places  set  apart  for 
palavers  or  consultation,  and  friendly  chat,  dancing- 
rooms,  etc.,  were  also  environed,  and  separated  from 
each  other  in  the  same  way.  The  whole  hamlet 
was  besides  encompassed  by  a stout  palisading. 
Weeds  and  rank  grasses  grew  and  thrived  amazing- 
ly every  where  all  over  the  place.  A spot  had  just 
been  cleared  of  this  waste  vegetation  for  my  recep- 
tion ; it  was  thronged  by  the  elite  of  the  nation, 
who  had  assembled  there  in  great  numbers. 

Having  waited  a few  minutes,  a tall,  rather  spare- 
made,  middle-aged,  and  not  unprepossessing-looking 
man  made  his  appearance.  This  was  the  chief, 
Chikongo.  His  person  was  less  decorated  than 
that  of  most  of  his  followers,  but  round  his  neck 
he  wore  an  immense  coil  of  fine  beads — a common 
ornament  with  the  well-to-do  class  of  his  country- 
men. By  being  constantly  bedaubed  and  plastered 
over  with  grease  and  ochre,  these  decorations  had 
become  one  solid  and  compact  mass.  The  upper 
parts  of  his  arms  were  encircled  by  bracelets  form- 
ed entirely  of  the  white  valuable  shell  so  often  al- 
luded to  by  travelers,  while  from  his  waist  depend- 


234 


THE  MAKOLOLO. 


ed  several  handsome  dagger-knives  of  native  work- 
manship. The  whole  of  his  body  was  moreover 
shining  and  dripping  with  ochre  and  butter. 

One  of  the  men  sent  me  by  the  chief  spoke  the 
Sichuana  language  fluently,  and  as  my  attendant 
was  a native  Bechuana,  I had  now  considerable  fa- 
cility in  explaining  to  Chikongo  the  object  of  my 
journey,  my  wants  and  my  wishes.  He  listened 
patiently,  but  made  few  or  no  remarks  ; and  the  in- 
terview having  lasted  a short  time,  broke  it  sudden- 
ly off,  saying,  “Now  you  are  probably  hungry  and 
must  eat.  It  grieves  me  from  my  heart  that  I can 
not  entertain  you  as  I should  wish.  Till  the  Mako- 
lolo  came  and  robbed  me  of  my  cattle  I was  rich, 
and  lived  well ; at  present  I can  only  bid  you  wel- 
come as  a Bushman.11  This  was  but  too  true. 

The  reader  will  probably  recollect  allusions  hav- 
ing been  made  in  the  preceding  pages  to  a report, 
which  had  reached  me  at  Omanbonde,  viz.,  that  a 
party  of  white  men  had,  the  year  previous  to  my 
visit,  attacked  the  Ovaquangari  nation,  and  carried 
off  much  cattle,  besides  making  captives  of  men, 
women,  and  children.  The  aggressors,  however, 
were  not  white  men,  but  that  scourge  of  central 
South  Africa,  the  Makololo. 

This  was,  then,  the  result  of  all  Dr.  Livingstone’s 
earnest  endeavors  to  dissuade  these  people  from 
committing  depredations  on  their  neighbors ! All 
their  fine  promises  to  that  noble  explorer,  with  their 
professions  of  peaceful  dispositions,  were,  as  we  here 


MISSIONARY  IMPOTENCE. 


235 


see,  mere  delusions,  to  use  tlie  lightest  word,  on  both 
sides.  I very  much  fear  that  this  tribe  have  two 
faces  for  Dr.  Livingstone.  There  is  no  doubt  that 
he  possesses  very  great  influence  over  them,  a fact 
which  has  been  abundantly  proved  by  the  very 
handsome  manner  in  which  they  have  treated  and 
assisted  him ; and  when  that  admirable  man  is  on 
the  spot,  unquestionably  every  thing  goes  on  well 
and  smoothly ; but  no  sooner,  I suspect,  is  his  back 
turned,  than  the  old  Swedish  saw — u Nar  katten 
dr  borta , dansa  rattorna  pa  bordef1 — literally,  when 
the  cat  is  away,  the  rats  dance  on  the  table — is  at 
once  fully  verified.  After  all,  a missionary,  be  he 
ever  so  practical  a man,  or  ever  so  much  esteemed, 
is  never  likely  to  know  the  secrets  of  a savage  com- 
munity. That  such  is  the  case  has  been  abundant- 
ly proved  in  almost  all  countries  where  missions 
have  been  established.  My  own  experience  tells 
the  same  tale.  Human  nature  is  loth  to  confess  its 
frailties  (for  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil  is  in- 
herent in  every  human  bosom)  where  in  these  frail- 
ties there  is  no  participation,  and  where  they  find 
but  a sentimental  sympathy.  “ Men,”  as  a certain 
historian  finely  says,  “ may  praise,  but  they  seldom 
love  those  who  elevate  themselves  above  the  or- 
dinary passions  and  prejudices  of  their  race.” 


236 


THE  MAMBARI. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

The  Mambari. — Traders  from  the  Confines  of  the  Kingdom 
of  Benguela. — Visit  the  Ovaquangari  every  Year. — Peddler 
Expeditions  as  far  as  Libebe. — Much  valuable  Information, 
especially  respecting  the  North  and  its  Natives,  to  be  de- 
rived from  these  Traders. — They  convey  a Letter  for  me  to 
the  Governor  of  Benguela. — They  also  forward  one  to  the 
R.  G.  S.  of  London. — I think  of  returning  to  my  Men  left 
with  the  Wagon.  — Chikongo  objects  to  this  Proposal,  as 
his  People  have  not  yet  “ had  time  to  stare  at  me.” — The 
Savages  quite  on  a Par,  in  Point  of  Intelligence,  with  the 
Ovambos. — Agricultural  Pursuits. — Trades  of  the  Ovaquan- 
gari.— Various  Tribes  to  the  Northeast  of  this  People.— No 
permanently  settled  Nations. — Only  Bushmen. — Rejoin  my 
Wagon.  — Tremendous  Penalty  for  my  successful  Enter- 
prise.— Attacked  by  a malignant  Fever. — Five  of  my  Men 
prostrated  by  the  same  Disease. — Anticipate  a like  Fate  for 
the  Remainder  of  my  Party. — I hesitate  about  incurring  the 
Responsibility  of  persisting  in  my  Enterprise. — Determine, 
on  Reflection,  to  do  so. 

At  Chikongo’s  werft  I encountered  several  Mam- 
bari, i.  e .,  black  traders  from  the  confines  of  the 
kingdom  of  Benguela.  If  these  were  true  repre- 
sentatives of  their  tribe,  little  could  be  said  in  their 
favor  either  physically  or  mentally.  They  were  be- 
low the  average  stature  of  men,  very  slenderly  built, 
with  low  foreheads,  and  generally  unimpressive  and 
unintelligent  features.  They  brought  with  them 


THE  MAMBARI. 


237 


slaves  and  ivory,  for  which  they  received  in  ex- 
change the  usual  African  commodities,  beads,  guns, 
ammunition,  etc.  I was  grieved  to  find  that  they 
had  also  introduced  into  the  country  ardent  spir- 
its, which  appeared  to  be  extravagantly  in  demand 
among  the  Ovaquangari. 

The  Mambari  visit  this  people  regularly  once  a 
year,  and  afterward  push  their  excursions  as  far 
eastward  as  Libebe.  But,  though  their  route  lies 
in  these  peddler  expeditions  for  many  days  along 
the  Okavango  Biver,  they  never  make  use  of  canoes 
for  transporting  their  merchandise.  The  ivory  is 
always  carried  on  men’s  shoulders. 

It  was  clear,  however,  despite  their  uninviting 
appearance,  that  these  men,  having  frequent  com- 
mercial communications  with  people  inhabiting  the 
North  imperfectly  or  not  at  all  known  to  Euro- 
peans, could  furnish  me  with  much  and  valuable 
information  respecting  that  country  and  its  natives. 
Unfortunately,  my  interpreter  flatly  refused  to  in- 
terrogate the  traders — for  reasons  no  doubt  best 
known  to  his  chief  Chikongo.  I managed,  never- 
theless, to  get  from  them  a promise  to  convey  to 
the  Governor  of  Benguela,  or  to  some  other  officer 
in  authority  in  his  majesty’s  dominions,  a letter,  in 
which  I informed  his  excellency  that  I purposed,  in 
the  course  of  the  year,  paying  a visit  to  the  district 
under  his  government,  and  requested  his  kind  as- 
sistance toward  the  accomplishment  of  this  design. 
I also  profited  by  the  same  opportunity  to  write  to 


238 


CURIOSITY  OF  THE  NATIVES. 


Dr.  Shaw,  secretary  to  the  Royal  Geographical  So- 
ciety of  London.  These  epistles  duly,  I believe, 
reached  their  destination. 

As  my  absence  had  been  already  sufficiently  pro- 
longed to  create  uneasiness  in  the  minds  of  the  men 
left  behind  with  the  wagon,  I naturally  felt  anxious 
to  retrace  my  steps ; I accordingly  acquainted  the 
chief  with  my  intention.  But  he  would  hear  of  no 
such  abrupt  departure,  saying,  with  great  simplici- 
ty, that  it  would  not  even  allow  him  or  his  people 
time  to  stare  at  me.  u Moreover,”  added  he,  “who 
knows  that  you  will  ever  return  to  us  ?”  Anxious 
as  I was  to  regain  my  wagon  without  farther  delay, 
I was  no  less  anxious  to  stand  so  well  with  my  new 
friends  as  to  insure  to  future  visitors  a safe  and 
hearty  welcome  among  them.  Demurring,  there- 
fore, no  longer  to  yield  to  the  chief’s  request,  I 
passed  that  and  the  following  day  beneath  his  hos- 
pitable roof. 

The  people,  though,  like  all  savages,  somewhat 
rude,  behaved,  on  the  whole,  with  propriety.  They 
were  exceedingly  merry,  but  evinced  much  curios- 
ity, and  made  many  clever  inquiries  as  to  the  uses, 
fabrication,  etc.,  of  various  utensils  we  had  brought 
with  us.  It  was  evident  I was  once  again  among 
an  intelligent  race  of  men — quite  on  a par,  in  this 
respect,  with  their  western  neighbors,  the  Ovambo, 
whom  they  so  closely  resemble  in  language,  habits, 
costume,  and  domestic  customs,  that  any  separate 
description  of  them  would  be  superfluous.  A refer- 


TRIBES  OF  THE  NORTH  AND  WEST. 


239 


ence  to  “Lake  Ngamr1  will  satisfy  tlie  curious  on 
this  head. 

Like  the  Ovambo,  the  Ovaquangari  engage  in 
agricultural  pursuits,  and  ply  many  trades,  that  of 
blacksmiths  more  especially.  They  manufacture 
all  the  ornaments,  household  utensils,  farming  im- 
plements, arms,  etc.,  in  use  among  their  own  peo- 
ple ; they  also  export  these  articles  largely.  Their 
principal  traffic  is,  however,  confined  to  iron  and 
copper,  both  ores  being  indigenous  to  their  country 
— at  least  that  part  of  it  which  lies  north  of  the 
Okavango  River. 

This  tribe  are  also  very  much  addicted  to  barter, 
and  keep  up  thereby  a constant  intercourse  with 
their  numerous  neighbors — an  intercourse  greatly 
facilitated  by  their  fine  navigable  stream. 

East  of  the  Ovaquangari  are  the  Ovabundija,  the 
Ozomboo,  and  the  Bavickos,  of  which  the  capital  is 
the  well-known  Libebe.  To  the  southward  only 
Bushmen  and  impoverished  Ovaherero  exist,  while 
to  the  west  we  find  the  Ovambo,  as  also  a powerful 
nation  called  Ovakuenyama,  North  and  north- 
west again,  a great  number  of  small  tribes  flourish. 
The  following  are  those  best  known:  the  Datie- 
kombo,  Morodi,  Papero,  Masaka,  Chirongo,  Majam- 
bi,  etc.  These  live  along  the  river  in  the  order 
here  enumerated.  West  of  these,  and  north  of  the 
Ovakuenyama,  we  find  Kazima,  Evari,  Ehanda, 
Vasipongo,  etc.  To  the  northeast  there  are  no  per- 
manently settled  nations ; the  only  inhabitants  of 


240 


A MALIGNANT  FEVER 


these  regions  are  Bushmen,  and  the  scattered  rem- 
nants of  black  tribes,  once  rich  in  corn-land  and 
cattle,  but  now  impoverished — the  Bakalahari,  in 
short,  of  this  desolate  part  of  the  world. 

On  the  third  day  from  my  arrival  at  Chikongo's 
I departed,  and  next  morning  joined  that  portion 
of  my  party  left  where  we  first  struck  the  river. 
Three  days  more,  and  I regained  my  wagon  in  safe- 
ty. But,  alas!  had  I then  been  aware  of  the  tre- 
mendous penalty  my  successful  enterprise  had  im- 
posed, and  was  farther  to  impose  upon  myself  and 
party,  it  is  very  doubtful  whether  I should  not 
have  returned  homeward  at  once,  instead  of  revis- 
iting, as  I had  determined  to  do,  Chikongo ; for,  on 
the  night  after  my  return,  I was  attacked  by  a ma- 
lignant fever,  from  the.  effects  of  which  I have  never 
to  this  day  recovered,  which  brought  me  speedily 
to  the  verge  of  the  grave.  It  is  impossible  to  de- 
scribe the  terrible  agony  that  seized  me  when  I felt 
the  first  symptoms  of  this  malady.  It  was  but  a 
slight  quivering  of  the  body,  but  I knew  it  too  well 
to  entertain  any  doubt  about  what  it  betokened. 
Of  course  it  was  not  a coward  anticipation  of  pain, 
however  severe  and  lasting,  that  so  much  distressed 
me.  Ah ! no : it  was  the  certain  knowledge  that 
all  my  energies,  bodily  and  mental,  would  be  pros- 
trated, and  that,  too,  at  a time  when  they  were  most 
needed,  that  so  shocked  and  unnerved  me.  My 
first  impulse  was,  as  I have  said,  to  hasten  home ; 
but  then  there  rose  before  me  the  promise  I had 


SPREADS  AMONG  MY  FOLLOWERS. 


241 


made  to  the  chief,  and  the  prospect  of  future  suc- 
cess should  I recover,  which,  with  many  other  equal- 
ly cogent  reasons,  urged  me  to  persevere  in  the 
course  I had  decided  upon  from  the  moment  I 
caught  sight  of  the  Okavango  River,  which  was  to 
prosecute  my  discoveries  to  the  very  utmo°t  as  long 
as  there  remained  the  smallest  and  most  remote 
chance  of  their  being  crowned  with  success. 

After  a day  or  two  devoted  to  rest,  we  therefore 
pushed  forward,  but  had  not  proceeded  far  before 
five  out  of  the  six  men  who  had  accompanied  me 
to  the  river  were  seized  with  the  same  malignant 
disease  as  myself.  Of  these,  after  an  illness  of  only 
two  or  three  days,  one  died.  This  sudden  death 
seriously  alarmed  the  others ; and  feeling  certain 
that  their  ignorant  and  superstitious  fears  would 
greatly  retard,  if  not  altogether  hinder  their  re- 
covery, I once  more  paused.  I felt  convinced,  too, 
that  on  reaching  the  river  again  the  remainder  of 
my  party  would  also  be  seized  with  fever.  The 
reader  need  not  therefore  be  surprised  that  I once 
more  hesitated  to  jeopardize  so  many  lives.  My 
uncertainty,  however,  did  not  last  long ; after  care- 
fully weighing  all  the  pros  and  cons , I determined 
to  continue  the  journey.  Thus  I argued : u Let  us 
suppose  the  worst,  viz.,  that  my  whole  party  is  laid 
prostrate ; well,  with  care  and  good  nursing,  most 
of  them,  including  myself,  may,  in  the  course  of  two 
or  three  months,  be  sufficiently  restored  to  health 
to  go  forward.  The  invalids,  if  any  remain,  I can, 

Q 


242 


A VAIN  RESOLUTION. 


should  he  continue  friendly  to  my  plans,  and  I 
have  no  reason  to  think  otherwise,  leave  with  the 
chief.  My  stock  of  provisions,  dead  or  alive,  is,  it 
is  true,  not  very  great,  yet  there  is  sufficient  to  sup- 
port life  for  at  least  seven  or  eight  months.  More- 
over, I am  amply  provided  with  articles  of  ex- 
change, for  which  I can  always  command  com  and 
other  vegetables  for  an  almost  unlimited  period.  ” 
These  considerations  encouraged  me  to  persevere. 
But,  alas!  how  true  the  proverb,  “Man  proposes, 
and  God  disposes,”  the  sequel  will  show. 

Here,  however,  to  vary  the  monotony  of  my  nar- 
rative, let  me  pause  for  a while,  while  I invite  my 
readers  to  accompany  me  on  a sporting  excursion, 
wherein  occurred  an  incident  or  two  of  sufficient  in- 
terest, I think,  to  be  chronicled  in  a chapter  apart. 


A LEOPARD  HUNTED  BY  DOGS. 


243 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

A Leopard  hunted  by  Dogs. — An  extraordinary  Leap. — Leop- 
ards and  Panthers. — Their  stealthy,  fawning  Mode  of  attack- 
ing their  Prey.— The  Chetah. — An  Antelope  Hunt. — Among 
the  Elephants  again. — A Presentiment  and  a Prophecy. — 
An  exciting  Chase. — A Night  Hunt. — A pastoral  Picture  of 
Elephants  enjoying  themselves. — A dangerous  Position. — 
A Mistake. — Two  Elephants  shot  instead  of  one. — A glori- 
ous Day’s  Sport. — Three  Elephants  bagged.— A new  Attack 
of  Fever. 

One  evening,  a little  before  sunset,  while  I was 
still  suffering  from  the  effects  of  fever,  all  my  dogs 
suddenly  began  to  give  chase  to  some  animal,  which 
the  distance  did  not  enable  us  to  distinguish.  To 
judge,  however,  from  the  rapid  alternating  attacks 
of  the  pursuers,  they  evidently  had  a formidable  an- 
tagonist before  them.  I was  too  weak  to  keep  quite 
up  with  them,  but  my  curiosity  was  so  strong  that 
I almost  did  so.  They  were,  I conjectured  from 
their  steady,  unbroken,  deep  bay,  close  upon  the 
haunches  of  their  enemy,  yet  I could  not  distinctly 
see  either  the  dogs  or  the  object  of  their  pursuit, 
when  all  at  once  a magnificent  leopard  sprang  right 
before  me,  from  the  topmost  branches  of  a tall  aca- 
cia, clearing,  with  a single  bound,  all  his  fierce  as- 
sailants. I was  so  astounded  at  the  magnitude  of 


244  STEALTHY  MODE  OF  ATTACKING  THEIR  PREY. 

the  leap — without  having  witnessed  it  one  can  hard- 
ly form  a notion  of  the  distance  oversprung — that, 
looking  first  at  the  tree,  and  then  at  the  spot  on 
which  the  beautiful  beast  had  alighted,  I could  not 
withdraw  my  eyes  from  the  scene  of  it.  Had  the 
dogs  followed  my  example — that  is,  had  they  been 
equally  fascinated  with  the  fine  muscular  action  of 
the  comely  creature,  they  would  certainly  have  lost 
their  prey ; but  rage  alone  animated  them,  and  be- 
fore the  panther  had  proceeded  a hundred  yards 
they  had  overtaken  and  torn  him  with  such  force 
and  ferocity  to  the  ground,  that  by  the  time  I reach- 
ed him  the  poor  brute  gave  no  other  signs  of  life 
than  the  quivering  of  his  panting  limbs.  Pereira 
put  him  out  of  his  pain  by  firing  a rifle  into  his 
heart. 

Before  I proceed  farther,  I must  add  a few  words 
about  the  leopard  and  panther.  These  creatures 
are  most  remarkable  for  the  perseverance  and  pa- 
tience with  which  they  watch  their  prey.  They 
lurk  in  ambush  among  bushes  or  verdure  on  the 
borders  of  forests,  and  spring  with  a sudden  and 
tremendous  leap  on  such  animals  as  may  pass  by. 
So  prompt,  so  rapid,  and  well-timed  are  their  move- 
ments, that  few  whom  they  attack  escape.  They 
resemble  the  cat  in  their  mode  of  seizing  their  prey. 
They  approach  by  drawing  themselves  along  on 
their  bellies,  by  gliding  softly  through  shrubs  and 
bushes,  by  concealing  themselves  in  ditches,  or,  if 
showing  themselves,  by  assuming  a mild  and  fawn- 


THE  LEOPARD  AND  HIS  PREY. 


LEOPARDS  AND  CHETAHS. 


247 


ing  appearance,  and  watching  the  favorable  moment 
for  darting  on  their  victims.  At  one  leap  they 
fasten  on  the  back  of  any  poor  brute  they  may  be 
lying  in  wait  for,*  which  they  seize  with  the  left  paw 
and  teeth  in  a way  that  it  is  impossible  for  it  to  es- 
cape, while  with  the  right  paw  they  in  a dew  min- 
utes tear  it  in  pieces.  They  then  suck  the  blood, 
devour  a part  of  the  flesh,  and  carry  the  carcass  into 
the  nearest  wood  for  a future  meal.  The  chetah, 
or  hunting  leopard,  is  frequently  tamed  in  India, 
and  used  in  the  chase  of  antelopes.  It  is  carried 
in  a kind  of  small  wagon,  chained  and  hooded,  lest, 
on  approaching  the  herd,  it  should  be  too  precipi- 
tate, and  not  make  choice  of  a proper  animal. 
When  first  unchained,  it  does  not  immediately 
spring  toward  its  prey,  but  winds,  with  the  utmost 
caution,  along  the  ground,  stopping  at  intervals, 
and  carefully  concealing  itself  till  a favorable  op- 
portunity offers ; it  then  darts  on  the  herd  with  as- 
tonishing swiftness,  and  overtakes  them  by  the  ra- 
pidity of  its  bounds.  If,  however,  in  its  first  at- 
tempt, which  consists  in  five  or  six  amazing  leaps, 
it  does  not  succeed,  it  loses  breath,  and,  giving  up 
the  point,  at  once  returns  sulkily  to  its  cart. 

On  one  occasion  I saw  three  chetahs  in  the  field. 
Coming  on  a herd  of  antelopes,  one  of  them  was 
quickly  unhooded  and  loosed  from  his  bonds.  As 
soon  as  he  perceived  the  deer,  he  dropped  quietly 
off  the  cart  on  the  opposite  side  to  that  on  which 
they  stood,  and  approached  them  at  a slow,  crouch- 


248 


A HUNT. 


ing  canter,  masking  himself  at  every  bush  and  ine- 
quality that  lay  in  his  way.  As  soon,  however,  as 
they  began  to  show  alarm,  he  quickened  his  pace, 
and  was  in  the  midst  of  them  at  a few  bounds.  He 
singled  out  a doe,  and  ran  it  close  for  about  two 
hundred  yards,  when  he  reached  it  with  a blow  of 
his  paw,  rolled  it  over,  and  in  an  instant  was  suck- 
ing the  life-blood  from  its  throat.  One  of  the  other 
chetahs  was  then  slipped  at  the  same  time,  but,  aft- 
er making  four  or  five  desperate  bounds,  by  which 
he  nearly  reached  his  prey,  suddenly  gave  up  the 
pursuit,  and  came  growling  sulkily  back  to  the  wag- 
on. As  soon,  on  these  occasions,  as  the  deer  is  pull- 
ed down,  a keeper  runs  up,  hoods  the  chetah,  cuts 
the  victim’s  throat,  and,  securing  some  of  the  blood 
in  a wooden  ladle,  thrusts  it  under  the  leopard’s 
nose.  The  antelope  is  then  dragged  away,  while 
the  chetah  is  rewarded  with  a leg  for  his  pains. 

And  now  let  the  reader  accompany  me  once  more 
to  a-  scene  among  1 he  grandest  of  the  denizens  of  the 
wilds— the  elephant.  The  story  I am  about  to  re- 
late is  chiefly  remarkable  from  the  singular  present- 
iment of  success  that  preceded  its  occurrence,  which 
I not  only  felt,  but  announced  to  several  persons. 

We  had  been  traveling  for  the  last  two  or  three 
days  in  the  bed  of  the  Omuramba,  and  my  illness 
had  taken  for  a time  a favorable  turn,  when  traces 
of  elephants  became  very  numerous.  Our  larder 
was  also  all  but  exhausted,  so  I determined  on  re- 
plenishing it  by  a hunt  for  some  of  this  big  game 


a huntsman's  presentiment.  249 

as  soon  as  we  could  fall  in  with  a fresh  trail.  I 
had  not  long  to  wait.  Early  on  the  morning  of 
the  third  day  after  entering  this  Omuramba,  we 
crossed  a fresh  spoor  of  a fair-sized  male  elephant. 
In  five  minutes’  time  I was  in  pursuit  of  the  brute, 
and  in  less  than  an  hour  found  myself  in  his  pres- 
ence. But,  as  ill  luck  would  have  it,  he  had  be- 
come aware  of  my  approach,  and  was,  unknown  to 
me,  cautiously  retracing  his  steps.  We  thus  sud- 
denly found  ourselves  face  to  face  in  a dense  brake, 
at  a distance  certainly  not  exceeding  fifteen  paces. 
I felt  at  first,  foreseeing  the  consequences  that  might 
ensue,  averse  to  fire  in  my  awkward  position ; but 
there  was  no  alternative.  [Raising  the  rifle,  there- 
fore, steadily  to  my  shoulder,  and  taking  a deliber- 
ate aim  at  the  forehead  of  the  animal,  I pulled 
the  trigger.  The  result  was  as  I had  anticipated; 
my  life  was  probably  saved,  but  my  game  was 
gone.  With  one  of  those  terrific  screams  so  pe- 
culiar to  his  species,  the  monster  wheeled  round 
with  the  rapidity  of  lightning,  and  the  next  mo- 
ment was  out  of  sight.  I followed  his  spoor  close- 
ly up  for  a long  time,  but  failed  in  again  encounter- 
ing him.  I thereupon  rejoined  my  wagon,  both 
sick  and  dispirited,  yet  determined  to  have  another 
shot  or  two  at  some  of  the  fugitive’s  comrades  be- 
fore the  fever  should  resume  its  fatal  sway  over  my 
enervated  frame.  Turning  this  resolution  over  in 
my  mind,  I,  just  before  retiring  to  rest,  hallooed 
out  to  one  of  my  servants:  u Pereira,  keep  a sharp 


250 


A NIGHT  CHASE. 


look-out,  for  I feel  quite  certain  that  elephants  will 
stray  this  way  to-night.1’ 

I had  soon  fallen  into  a deep  hut  perturbed  slum- 
ber, my  fancy  busily  depicting,  in  a broken  way,  the 
scene  of  my  day’s  adventure,  and  wildly  shaping 
the  chances  of  better  success  on  the  following  morn- 
ing, when,  at  about  midnight,  I was  startled  by  the 
cry,  “Sir!  sir!  two  elephants  are  passing  us  on 
yonder  bank.”  To  spring  to  my  feet  and  to  seize 
the  rifle  was  the  work  of  an  instant ; and  as  soon 
as  my  eyes  had  become  sufficiently  clear  of  their 
sleepy  film,  I perceived,  at  no  great  distance,  not 
two,  but  three  elephants,  which,  from  their  tower- 
ing height,  I at  once  concluded  to  be  males.  They 
were  walking  with  a steady  but  quick  step ; and 
supposing  they  were  about  to  quench  their  thirst 
at  some  rain-pools  hard  by,  I hastened  to  intercept 
them.  It  soon  became  evident,  however,  that  they 
had  taken  the  alarm ; while,  being  afraid  myself 
to  lose  sight  of  them  in  the  dimness  of  a starless 
night,  I deemed  it  most  advisable  to  postpone  my 
attack  on  them  till  daylight.  Halting  thereupon, 
I said  to  Pereira,  who  was  following  me  with  a 
spare  rifle,  “No,  don’t  let  us  disturb  them  now; 
to-morrow  morning,  at  break  of  day,  we  will  take 
up  their  spoor.”  I then  added,  half  speaking  to 
myself  and  half  addressing  my  servant,  “Two  of 
those  brutes,  as  I certainly  foresee,  must  and  shall 
bite  the  dust  before  the  setting  of  to-morrow’s  sun.  ” 
Accordingly,  the  first  gray  streaks  of  dawn  had 


ELEPHANTINE  PASTORALS. 


251 


hardly  announced  the  arrival  of  the  blushing  day 
when  I was  in  pursuit  of  my  night  quarry.  One 
of  these  animals  had  evidently  visited  a rain-pool 
in  the  neighborhood ; the  excessive  rankness,  nev- 
ertheless, of  the  grass,  and  the  numerous  trails  of 
other  elephants  of  very  little  earlier  date,  made  it 
so  difficult  to  follow  their  spoor,  that  the  sun  was 
high  in  the  heavens  before  we  had  fairly  tracked 
them  on  their  way  to  their  daily  haunts.  Fortu- 
nately, they  had  moved  along  very  leisurely,  which 
enabled  me  to  make  up  for  lost  time.  Indeed,  an 
uncommonly  short  tracking  brought  us  in  full  view 
of  the  noble  brutes.  Two  of  them  were  saunter- 
ing to  and  fro ; here  cropping  tender  shoots,  there 
thrusting  their  massive  tusks  under  the  roots  of 
trees,  in  order,  by  toppling  them  over,  to  feed  more 
conveniently  on  their  delicate  sprigs  and  sweet  ten- 
drils ; while  one  of  the  party  was  loitering  in  the 
rear,  scooping  the  sand  carelessly  out  from  some 
favorite  and  savory  root  or  bulb.  Interesting  as 
was  the  picture,  I gave  but  very  few  moments  to 
its  contemplation.  Hiding  away  my  ox  and  men 
(with  the  exception  of  one  of  the  latter),  I lost,  as 
is  my  wont,  no  time  in  coming  to  the  attack.  A 
few  minutes’  stalk  sufficed  to  bring  me  alongside 
the  laggard ; the  instant  following,  the  still  morn- 
ing air  was  sharply  disturbed  by  the  booming  of 
my  noble  and  trusty  rifle ; a shrill  shriek  announced 
its  effect,  and  the  brute  who  had  received  the  shot 
was,  with  his  companions,  immediately  lost  to  view, 


252 


A LUCKY  MISTAKE 


but  not  for  long — I soon  overtook  him.  Owing, 
however,  to  a sudden  change  in  his  position  while 
I was  taking  my  aim,  and  to  the  great  distance  at 
which  I fired,  the  second  bullet  did  not  seem  to  do 
much  harm,  for  the  beast,  on  being  hit,  turned  quiet- 
ly round,  peered  deliberately  in  all  directions  with 
his  small  sinister-looking  eyes,  and,  before  I had 
reloaded,  was  once  more  out  of  sight  I had  not, 
however,  proceeded  more  than  a dozen  paces  when 
I caught  a glimpse  of  a huge  stern  slipping  behind 
a large  tree,  surrounded  by  tall,  thick  bushes.  Tak- 
ing it  for  granted  that  this  was  the  elephant  I had 
wounded,  I approached  the  dangerous  spot  with 
the  utmost  caution  and  circumspection.  Well  for 
me  it  was  that  I did  so,  for  I had  no  sooner  fairly 
rounded  the  tree  than  I discovered  the  animal  still 
hiding  there.  Rubbing  his  hide  against  the  bushes, 
he  faced  me  only  obliquely.  Seeing  me,  neverthe- 
less, he  at  once  drew  back  a step  or  two,  preparing 
to  charge,  when  a well-directed  bullet,  lodged  in 
his  right  shoulder,  changed  instantly  his  intended 
charge  into  a precipitate  flight.  This  shot  so  ef- 
fectually crippled  the  animal  that  in  a few  seconds 
I found  myself  a match  for  him.  By  taking  a 
short  cut  I managed  to  intercept  his  retreat ; a sec- 
ond bullet  brought  him  to  a stand,  while  a third, 
fired  almost  immediately  afterward,  stretched  him 
on  the  ground  a corpse.  The  whole  chase  and  en- 
counter scarcely  occupied  ten  minutes,  and  I natu- 
rally felt  pleased  and  gratified  at  its  speedy  and 


DISCOVERED. 


253 


successful  issue.  Yet,  on  a near  inspection  of  the 
carcass,  I felt  some  disappointment  at  its  compara- 
tive smallness,  while  Kamoja,  my  henchman  and 
tracker,  exclaimed,  on  seeing  it,  “This  is  not  the 
elephant  you  first  fired  at ; that  was  a larger  one/'’ 
“ Impossible,”  I replied  ; “I  have  surely  not  made 
the  same  blunder  as  at  Omanbonde  ; no,  I am  sure 
I have  not.”  “You  have,  though,”  doggedly  ejac- 
ulated the  man.  “Very  well,  let  us  examine  the 
ground,”  I rejoined,  and  moved  off.  And  certain- 
ly, in  the  examination  we  then  made,  we  could  dis- 
cover no  trace  of  any  other  elephant,  either  dead 
or  wounded.  Kamoja,  for  all  that,  continued  to 
look  positive,  though  much  perplexed. 

Having  returned  to  the  carcass,  we  were  shortly 
joined  by  the  remainder  of  my  party,  one  of  whom 
called  out  to  me  as  he  approached,  “Sir, in  coming 
here,  we  came  across  an  elephant  walking  very 
slowly  and  stiffly,  as  if  much  hurt.”  “By  Jove! 
Kamoja  is  perhaps  right,  after  all,”  I exclaimed; 
“let  us  go  and  see.”  We  had  not  proceeded  above  a 
hundred  yards  in  an  opposite  direction  to  that  just 
examined,  when  we  noticed  another  blood  spoor, 
quite  distinct  from  that  of  the  animal  I had  killed. 
Pointing  with  exultation  to  these  marks,  Kamoja, 
with  a smile  full  of  meaning  and  satisfaction,  look- 
ed full  into  my  face,  and  said,  as  plainly  as  looks 
can  speak,  “Did  I not  tell  you  so,  sir?  For  the 
future,  trust  to  my  eyes  and  ears.  ” To  cut  a long 
story  short,  I will  only  add  that,  notwithstanding 


254 


A FRESH  ATTACK  OF  FEVER. 


the  serious  wound  the  animal  had  evidently  re- 
ceived, he  cost  us  many  hours  hard  walking  and 
running,  much  dodging,  much  suffering  from  thirst, 
and  exposure  to  many  perils  before  we  finally  suc- 
ceeded in  bringing  him  down.  At  length,  my  per- 
severance being  well  rewarded,  and  my  presenti- 
ment and  prophecy  fulfilled,  the  penalty  to  be  paid 
for  all  this  enjoyment  was  to  follow.  The  excite- 
ment and  exertion  of  the  hunt  had  been  too  much 
for  me ; the  next  morning  I was  delirious,  and 
months  elapsed  before  I could  again  shoulder  a 
gun. 


THE  SICK-LIST  INCREASES. 


255 


CHAPTER  XX. 

On  the  Okavango  again. — The  Numbers  on  our  Sick-list  in- 
crease.— Partial  Recoveries  and  Relapses. — The  numerous 
Species  of  Fish  in  the  River  all  edible,  and  some  delicious. 
— Fishing. — Singular  Contrivances  for  catching  Fish. — Al- 
ligators and  Hippopotami,  Otters. — My  original  Project  of 
proceeding  northward. — Generosity  of  Chikongo. — Pereira 
and  Mortar  take  the  Fever. — Obliged  to  abandon  my  long- 
cherished  Scheme. — A precipitate  Retreat. — The  Okavango 
perfectly  unknown  to  Europeans. — An  Excursion  toward  its 
Source  recommended. — The  native  Portuguese  not  aware 
of  the  River’s  Existence. — The  TJnhealthiness  of  the  Climate 
confined  probably  to  the  Spring  Season. — Malaria  from  the 
Lagoons. 

After  many  delays  and  much  trouble,  we  at  last 
found  ourselves  once  more  on  the  banks  of  the  river 
in  safety.  But,  alas ! though  hope  had  by  no  means 
deserted  me,  my  feelings  were  very  different  from 
those  with  which  I first  beheld  it.  I ivas  very  ill, 
and  there  was  little  or  no  improvement  in  the  health 
of  my  men ; rather  the  contrary,  for  the  numbers 
on  our  sick-list  increased  daily.  The  inactivity  to 
which  I was  thus  condemned  was  most  distressing. 
My  mind  suffered  by  it  still  more  than  my  body. 
At  length  the  fever  abated — that  is,  a temporary 
and  favorable  change  took  place  in  my  health,  to 
be  followed,  as  on  a previous  occasion,  by  a return 
of  the  malady  with  increased  violence.  I had,  how- 


256  GREAT  VARIETY  OF  FISH. 

ever,  if  the  truth  be  told,  myself  in  a great  measure 
to  blame  for  these  relapses ; for  no  sooner  was  I 
able  to  crawl  about  than,  instead  of  nursing  my- 
self, I exposed  myself,  in  my  usual  heedless  way,  to 
hardships  and  fatigues  which  would  task  a strong 
man’s  best  energies. 

Nevertheless,  I occupied  myself  a good  deal  dur- 
ing these  convalescent  intervals  in  collecting  such 
information  as  I could  get  at  respecting  the  Ova- 
quangari,  their  country,  their  manners,  modes  of 
life,  their  trades  and  occupations.  I endeavored  to 
pick  up,  besides,  some  knowledge  of  the  ornithology 
peculiar  to  this  region,  and  was  particular  in  inquir- 
ing about  the  various  sorts  of  fish  inhabiting  its 
noble  stream.  Of  what  I learned,  much  was  to  me 
new.  My  mind  had  consequently  ample  scope  for 
interesting  employment,  and,  had  I been  blessed 
with  my  usual  health  and  strength,  I might  have 
passed  my  time  both  pleasantly  and  profitably. 
Yet  to  me  this  was  but  a sorry  season;  care  and 
anxiety  were  my  chief  companions. 

The  River  Okavango  abounds,  as  I have  already 
said,  in  fish,  and  that  in  great  variety.  During  my 
very  limited  stay  on  its  banks  I collected  nearly 
twenty  distinct  species,  and  might,  though  very  in- 
adequately provided  with  the  means  of  preserving 
them,  unquestionably  have  doubled  this  number, 
had  sufficient  time  been  afforded  me.  All  I dis- 
covered were  not  only  edible,  but  highly  palatable, 
some  of  them  possessing  even  an  exquisite  flavor. 


AQUATIC  YARDS. 


257 


Many  of  the  natives  devote  a considerable  por- 
tion of  their  time  to  fishing,  and  employ  various 
simple,  ingenious,  and  highly  effective  contrivances 
for  capturing  the  finny  tribe.  Few  fish,  however, 
are  caught  in  the  river  itself.  It  is  in  the  numer- 
ous shallows  and  lagoons  immediately  on  its  bor- 
ders, and  formed  by  its  annual  overflow,  that  the 
great  draughts  are  made.  The  fishing  season,  in- 
deed, only  commences  in  earnest  at  about  the  time 
that  the  Okavango  reaches  its  highest  water-mark, 
that  is,  when  it  has  ceased  to  ebb,  and  the  temporary 
lagoons  or  swamps  alluded  to  begin  to  disappear. 

To  the  best  of  my  belief,  the  Ovaquangari  do  not 
employ  nets,  but  traps  of  various  kinds,  and  what 
may  not  inaptly  be  called  aquatic  yards,  for  the 
capture  of  iish.  These  fishing  yards  are  certain 
spots  of  eligible  water,  inclosed  or  fenced  off  in  the 
following  manner:  A quantity  of  reeds,  of  such 
length  as  to  suit  the  depth  of  water  for  which  they 
are  intended,  are  collected,  tied  into  bundles,  and 
cut  even  at  both  ends.  These  reeds  are  then  spread 
in  single  layers  flat  on  the  ground,  and  sewn  to- 
gether, very  much  in  the  same  way  as  ordinary 
mats,  but  by  a less  laborious  process.  It  does  not 
much  matter  what  the  length  of  these  mats  may 
be,  as  they  can  be  easily  lengthened  or  shortened 
as  need  may  require.  When  a locality,  then,  has 
been  decided  on  for  fishing  operations,  a certain 
number  of  these  mattings  are  introduced  into  the 
water  on  their  ends,  that  is,  in  a vertical  position, 

E 


258  ALLIGATORS.  — HIPPOPOTAMI.  — OTTERS. 


and  placed  either  in  a circle,  semicircle,  or  a line, 
according  to  the  shape  of  the  lagoon  or  shallow 
which  is  to  be  inclosed.  Open  spaces  from  three 
to  four  feet  wide  are,  however,  left  at  certain  inter- 
vals, and  into  these  apertures  the  toils,  consisting 
of  bee-hive  shaped  masses  of  reeds,  are  introduced. 
The  diameter  of  these  at  the  mouth  varies  with  the 
depth  to  which  they  have  to  descend,  the  lower  side 
being  firmly  fastened  to  the  bottom  of  the  water, 
while  the  upper  is  usually  on  a level  with  its  sur- 
face, or  slightly  rising  above  it.  In  order  thor- 
oughly to  disguise  these  ingenious  traps,  grasses 
and  weeds  are  thrown  carelessly  over  and  around 
them. 

This  river  abounds  also  in  alligators  and  hippo- 
potami, animals,  from  the  constant  traffic  going  on 
on  the  stream,  wary  and  exceedingly  shy,  conse- 
quently difficult  to  approach.  The  natives  occa- 
sionally destroy  one  of  the  latter  by  spearing ; they 
are  far,  nevertheless,  from  being  bold  hunters — in- 
deed, invariably  give  wide  berths  to  the  haunts  on 
the  water  of  these  formidable  creatures.  Otters 
are  also  to  be  found  in  the  Okavango,  but  of  not 
more,  I believe,  than  one  species. 

Though  both  myself  and  my  people  still  contin- 
ued seriously  ill,  I never  for  a moment  lost  sight 
of  my  original  purpose  to  proceed  northward,  and 
had  all  along  been  steadily  making  the  necessary 
arrangements  for  a start  as  soon  as  our  health 
would  admit  of  this  movement.  I had  also  com- 


NEW  INROADS  OF  FEVER. 


259 


municated  my  intentions  to  the  chief,  and  was  high- 
ly gratified  at  finding  that,  instead  of  making  ob- 
jections to  my  proposed  advance  beyond  his  terri- 
tories, as  is  usually  the  case  under  such  circum- 
stances, he  not  only  readily  acquiesced  in  my  scheme, 
but,  of  his  own  accord,  offered  me  guides  for  a cer- 
tain distance.  Moreover,  he  considerately  under- 
took the  charge  of  such  men  and  beasts  as  were 
either  unfit  for  the  journey  or  not  required.  Nay, 
he  even  went  so  far  as  spontaneously  to  promise 
my  people,  should  they  run  short  of  food  during 
my  absence,  an  abundant  supply  of  whatever  they 
might  want.  This  was,  of  course,  a great  relief  to 
me ; for,  though  I ran  a certain  amount  of  risk  in 
thus  placing  myself  in  his  power,  it  was  certainly 
the  least  disagreeable  of  the  alternatives  before  me. 

With  one  or  two  exceptions,  all  my  native  serv- 
ants were  at  this  time  prostrated  by  the  fever,  Pe- 
reira and  Mortar  alone  being  still  unaffected  by  it ; 
and  as  I had  at  an  early  period  taken  the  precau- 
tion of  administering  to  these  men  quinine  and 
brandy,  antidotes,  I believed,  against  the  disease,  I 
had  some  faint  hopes  that  they  might  escape  the 
infection,  and  thus  afford  me  at  least  some  help  in 
carrying  out  my  plans.  But  in  this  hope  I was 
disappointed ; for,  after  about  a month’s  stay  on 
the  river,  both  these  men  were  suddenly  confined 
to  their  beds.  To  add  to  my  dismay,  the  other  pa- 
tients, instead  of  improving,  were  rapidly  getting 
worse — in  short,  sinking  into  their  graves.  Had  I 


260  A PRECIPITATE  RETREAT. 

then,  under  these  circumstances,  persisted  on  pros- 
ecuting my  long-cherished  project,  I should  cer- 
tainly have  been  much  to  blame,  for  I had  the  sad 
experience  and  melancholy  fate  of  former  explorers, 
who  had  obstinately,  in  a similar  situation,  perse- 
vered in  darling  schemes,  become  hopeless,  ever  be- 
fore me,  ever  forcibly  present  to  my  mind.  What, 
then,  was  to  be  done  ? To  linger  where  we  were 
seemed  certain  death,  and  any  visions  of  future 
success  I might  still  entertain  were  too  remote  to 
justify  me  in  imperiling  so  fearfully  the  lives  of  my 
fellow-creatures.  A precipitate  retreat  appeared, 
therefore,  quite  imperative.  It  cost,  nevertheless, 
a severe  struggle  between  duty  and  ambition  before 
I could  resolve  upon  it.  I obeyed  at  last  the  mo- 
nitions of  conscience,  and  bade  with  a sigh  farewell 
to  the  pursuit  of  fame  and  glory  forever.  That 
this  act  of  self-renunciation  was  not  determined  on 
without  acute  pangs,  it  would  be  useless  to  deny. 
After  such  toils,  such  hardships,  such  sacrifices,  and 
with  the  prospect  of  a final  crowning  success  just 
dawning  upon  me,  it  may  well  be  imagined  that  I 
turned  my  back  on  the  land  of  promise  with  droop- 
ing spirits  and  a heavy  heart. 

Thus  ended  my  short  but  memorable  visit  to  the 
Okavango  River.  I sincerely  trust  that  future  ex- 
plorers of  these  parts  may  meet  with  better  suc- 
cess. An  excursion  up  this  stream  toward  its 
source  would  undoubtedly  prove  very  interesting, 
for  it  is,  I believe,  perfectly  unknown  to  Europeans  ; 


MALARIA  FROM  THE  LAGOONS.  261 

I doubt,  even,  whether  the  native  Portuguese  are 
aware  of  its  very  existence ; they  are  certainly 
quite  insensible  to  its  importance  in  a commercial 
point  of  view.  Navigable  it  must  be  throughout 
a great  (if  not  the  greater)  portion  of  its  course, 
even  to  vessels  of  some  pretension.  Numerous 
tribes,  more  or  less  intelligent,  more  or  less  traders 
and  acquainted  with  the  art  of  agriculture,  possess 
permanent  habitations  along  its  banks.  The  un- 
healthiness of  the  climate  may,  it  is  true,  be  con- 
sidered as  prohibitive  of  any  frequent  or  constant 
intercourse  with  this  country.  I strongly  suspect, 
however,  that  this  objection  would  only  apply  to  a 
certain  season,  i.  e, .,  to  the  time  when,  the  annual 
flow  of  the  river  ceasing,  exhalations  from  the  sur- 
rounding swamps  and  marshes  poison  the  atmos- 
phere. In  the  months  of  June,  July,  and  August, 
one  might,  I firmly  believe,  visit  the  Okavango  with 
comparative  safety.  It  is  only,  I think,  in  the 
spring,  when  I was  unfortunately  in  its  neighbor- 
hood, that  the  malaria  from  the  lagoons  is  so  fatal. 


262 


DEPARTURE. — SLOW  PROGRESS. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

Departure  from  the  Okavango. — Very  slow  Progress. — The 
Country  retraced  devoid  of  natural  Springs. — No  Water  to 
be  procured  for  Cattle  on  our  Retreat. — Obliged  to  halt  till 
the  rainy  Season  set  in. — A Return  to  Ombongo  in  prospect. 
— Live-stock  getting  very  low. — Too  ill  for  Elephant-hunt- 
ing.— Pereira  recovers. — He  is  dispatched  with  an  Attend- 
ant or  two  to  Otjimbingue,  to  inform  Friends  of  my  awk- 
ward Position,  and  to  procure  Provisions. — Visit  from  Bush- 
men sent  by  a Party  of  the  Ovambo  encamped  about  two 
Days’  Journey  from  us. — Suspicions  of  the  Intentions  of  this 
Party. — Spies  in  the  Camp. — Dangers  threaten. — The  Camp 
fortified. — Description  of  fortified  Camp  in  the  Desert. 

On  the  6th  of  J une  we  took  our  departure  from 
this  most  interesting,  but  to  us  most  melancholy 
region.  On  that  very  morning  I had  to  perform 
the  sad  task  of  burying  another  of  my  men.  My 
wagon  was  now  again  put  into  requisition,  and,  not 
being  large  enough  to  hold  our  stores  and  the  sick 
at  the  same  time,  I was  obliged  to  send  it  on  each 
day,  first  with  one  portion  of  our  luggage  and  hos- 
pital, and  then,  on  its  return,  with  the  remainder. 
Our  progress  was  consequently  extremely  slow,  so 
much  so  that,  after  a lapse  of  nearly  six  weeks,  I 
found  myself  only  about  five  or  six  days’  journey 
from  my  camp  on  the  Okavango.  I had  greatly 
hoped,  notwithstanding  this  tardy  advance,  that 


NO  WATER  FOR  THE  CATTLE. 


263 


change  of  air  and  place  would  have  improved  both 
my  own  and  my  patients1  health,  but  here  again  I 
met  with  disappointment. 

The  country,  as  already  stated,  was  throughout 
the  district  we  were  retracing  totally  devoid  of  nat- 
ural springs ; the  season,  however,  not  being  much 
advanced,  and  the  rains  having  fallen  abundantly 
on  my  way  northward,  I did  not  for  a moment 
doubt  that  our  retreat,  as  far  as  the  Omuramba, 
might  be  effected  in  safety.  Nevertheless,  I dis- 
patched, while  rectifying  some  rather  serious  de- 
fects in  the  wagon,  a couple  of  men  ahead  on  our 
old  route  to  reconnoitre;  and,  on  their  return,  learn- 
ed, to  my  utter  surprise  and  dismay,  that  for  sev- 
eral days1  journey  no  water  was  to  be  had  for  cat- 
tle, and  scarcely  any  for  ourselves.  This  blow,  for 
which  I was  wholly  unprepared,  totally  upset  all 
my  present  plans.  I shuddered  at  the  idea  of  be- 
ing cooped  up  in  these  dreary  solitudes  for  several 
consecutive  months,  and  that  at  a time,  too,  when 
we  were  so  completely  unprepared  for  any  prolong- 
ed stay  in  a desert  which  afforded  no  resources; 
for  five,  if  not  six  months,  I was  fully  aware  must 
elapse  before  the  next  rain  fell,  at  least  in  sufficient 
quantities  to  enable  us  to  go  forward.  I anxiously, 
therefore,  and  earnestly  questioned  the  Bushmen  liv- 
ing in  the  neighborhood  about  water,  and  particu- 
larly about  the  possibility  of  finding  any  outlet 
among  the  waste  lands  around  us  by  which  we 
might  escape  from  our  difficulties.  They,  in  reply, 


264 


LOCKED  UP  IN  THE  DESERT. 


as  earnestly  protested  their  ignorance  of  any  such 
practicable  passage  through  the  country.  Unfor- 
tunately, I believed  them.  There  was,  as  we  dis- 
covered many  months  afterward,  a route  of  which 
we  might  have  availed  ourselves  much  more  eligi- 
ble than  that  by  which  we  had  arrived. 

In  the  predicament  in  which  we  now  found  our- 
selves, we  could  evidently  do  nothing  but  resign 
ourselves  cheerfully  to  our  fate,  and  quietly  await 
the  return  of  the  rainy  season.  There  was  still 
some  rain-water  here  and  there  in  pools  around  our 
camp,  at  a place  called  Sasseb.  This  certainly  could 
not  last  us  long;  but  I was  given  to  understand 
that,  by  digging  in  a certain  spot,  a permanent  suf- 
ficiency of  water  might  be  obtained ; should  this  re- 
port turn  out  incorrect,  and  it  should  come  to  the 
worst,  we  were  still  near  enough  to  Ombongo  to 
effect  a retreat  to  that  locality  at  any  time,  when 
all  anxiety  about  water  would  be  at  an  end.  One 
thing  only  gave  me  a good  deal  of  uneasiness ; my 
stock  of  cattle  for  slaughter  was  fast  disappearing, 
and  game,  with  the  exception  of  elephants,  was  ex- 
ceedingly scarce.  Indeed,  had  it  been  abundant, 
we  could  hardly  have  profited  by  the  circumstance, 
as  but  very  few  of  my  party  were  strong  enough  to 
engage  in  the  chase.  For  my  own  part,  I could 
not  yet  put  a gun  to  my  shoulder. 

Pereira  and  two  or  three  of  my  native  attend- 
ants were  the  first  to  recover  their  strength.  Why, 
then,  I reasoned,  on  perceiving  this,  not  send  them 


A VISIT  FROM  A PARTY  OF  THE  OVAMBO.  265 

away  ? By  so  doing  I shall  relieve  the  larder,  and 
as  soon  as  they  get  back  to  Otjimbingue  they  can 
inform  my  friends  of  my  awkward  position,  and 
procure  me  a fresh  supply  of  live  and  dead  stock, 
with  other  necessaries ; at  the  same  time — not  the 
least  important  item  in  the  mission — they  can  con- 
vey letters  to  my  friends,  and  bring  me  letters  from 
them. 

I thought  this  a very  feasible  plan ; for,  though 
the  attempt  to  return  “home11  with  my  whole  party 
would  have  been  utterly  impracticable,  two  or  three 
men,  with  the  same  number  of  oxen,  might  success- 
fully accomplish  the  enterprise.  Moreover,  I felt 
sure  that  Pereira  would  not  be  disheartened  by  or- 
dinary difficulties,  and  would  do  his  utmost  to  effect 
the  important  objects  I had  in  view.  I therefore, 
without  much  hesitation,  decided  on  this  step  as  the 
best  mode  of  utilizing  the  time,  and  of  renewing  our 
scanty  supplies,  etc. 

On  the  very  day  fixed  for  Pereira’s  departure 
several  unknown  Bushmen  paid  us  a visit.  They 
had,  they  said,  been  expressly  sent  on  by  a party 
of  Ovambo,  encamped  about  two  long  days1  jour- 
ney from  our  werft,  to  ascertain  whether  this  place 
afforded  sufficient  water  for  a herd  of  cattle.  I 
felt,  I confess,  a little  uneasy  at  this  piece  of  intelli- 
gence ; for  ever  since  their  memorable  and  treacher- 
ous attack  on  my  friends  on  the  plains  of  Ondonga, 
the  mere  mention  of  an  Ovambo  was  sufficient  to 
arouse  my  very  worst  suspicions.  Could,  I asked 


266 


WERE  THEY  SPIES? 


myself — and  they  were  questions  that  naturally  sug- 
gested themselves — this  party  be  en  route  for  the 
Okavango  for  purposes  of  traffic,  or  were  they  spies 
sent  to  watch  my  movements  ? I was  inclined  to 
believe  that  the  former  supposition  might  be  the 
correct  one ; for  not  only  were  the  people  of  On- 
donga  in  the  habit  of  annually  making  trading 
trips  to  their  neighbors,  but  this  was  actually  the 
season  in  which  they  were  accustomed  to  do  so.  I 
was,  besides,  perfectly  well  aware  that  I was  in  the 
very  highway  of  communication  between  the  two 
nations.  There  was  also  another  way  of  account- 
ing for  the  presence  of  the  party  in  these  parts  ; 
they  might  be  simply  an  outpost  in  charge  of  the 
remnants  of  old  cattle-folds  which  abound  herea- 
bouts. 

Whatever  might  be  its  cause,  their  near  neigh- 
borhood did  not  for  a moment  deter  me  from  dis- 
patching Pereira  on  his  destined  journey.  I merely 
warned  him  from  too  free  or  too  friendly  an  inter- 
course with  these  men,  should  he  fall  in  with  them ; 
and  the  necessary  preparations  being  completed,  he 
took  his  departure  (August  3d),  accompanied  by  the 
hearty  wishes  of  my  whole  camp,  who  knew  that 
our  comfort,  and,  in  a great  measure,  safety,  depend- 
ed on  his  successful  and  speedy  return. 

A fortnight  since  Pereira  left  us  had  passed 
away,  and  nothing  had  occurred  to  confirm  the  sus- 
picions I had  entertained  about  the  Ovambo  in  our 
vicinity.  Still  I could  not  altogether  divest  myself 


OVAMBO  SPIES. 


267 


of  uneasiness ; their  very  silence  and  avoidance  of 
all  communication  with  us  kept  me  in  a constant 
state  of  anxiety,  till  at  last  my  suspicions  were  so 
far  corroborated  as  to  leave  hardly  a doubt  that  our 
movements  were  watched  by  these  savages. 

Thus  it  happened : I was  tossing  to  and  fro  on 
my  pillow  one  evening  in  great  pain  and  distress, 
when  Mortar  entered  the  tent,  saying  half  aloud 
and  half  in  a whisper,  “Sir,  there  are  strange  peo- 
ple lurking  about  the  camp  ; I came  suddenly  upon 
a fellow  just  now  crouching  close  to  the  cattle,  and 
evidently  spying  into  our  doings.  Shall  I give  the 
rascal  a shot  ?”  Deadly  ill  as  I was,  I could  scarce- 
ly refrain  from  a smile  at  my  attendant’s  readiness 
for  action.  “No,11 1 at  length  gasped  forth,  “don’t 
fire,  but  keep  a sharp  look-out,  and  let  me  know 
the  result.”  Nothing  more,  however,  was  seen  or 
heard  that  night,  though  from  that  moment  I felt 
convinced  mischief  was  seriously  meant  me,  and 
that  the  spies  detected  by  my  servant  were  emissa- 
ries of  the  Ovambo  party.  Mortar  and  two  native 
herdsmen  were  all  the  force  I could  at  this  time 
muster,  the  remainder  of  my  followers  having  gone 
out  on  foraging  excursions  to  cater  for  themselves. 
About  the  safety  of  these  men  I naturally  felt  some 
alarm ; perhaps,  thought  I,  they  have  already  been 
surprised ; and  I will  not  deny  that,  though  not  a 
timorous  man,  I felt  very  anxious  and  restless. 
Moreover,  no  news  had  reached  me  of  Pereira. 
Might  not  he  too,  poor  fellow,  have  fallen  a victim 


268 


THE  CAMP  FORTIFIED 


to  the  revenge  and  treachery  of  these  barbarians? 
As  the  sequel  will  show,  I had  ample  cause,  though 
some  of  my  conjectures  may  have  been  wrong,  for 
my  very  worst  fears,  which  were  not  far  from  being 
realized. 

My  first  care  under  the  apprehensions  I now  suf- 
fered was  to  recall  my  foragers  or  huntsmen,  which 
I happily  effected  without  delay.  My  next  step 
was  so  far  to  fortify  the  camp  as  to  guard  it  at 
least  against  surprise.  This  I accomplished  by  sur- 
rounding the  encampment  with  a lofty  and  dense 
, fence  of  thorns,  piled  up  in  serried  order  in  the 
form  of  a square.  At  each  of  the  four  corners  of 
this  square  I projected  similar  thorn  fences,  about 
eight  feet  by  six,  within  which,  again,  I erected 
stout  palisadings,  open  only  on  the  side  facing  and 
leading  to  the  large  kraal.  I next  raised  the  ground 
within  this  paling  about  three  feet,  which  gave  me 
a command  not  only  of  the  two  sides  of  the  fence 
joining  at  each  of  the  four  corners,  but  of  the 
whole  camp.  I was,  of  course,  aware  that  but  two 
of  these  corner  projections  were  necessary,  accord- 
ing to  the  simplest  rules  of  engineering,  to  enable 
me  to  guard  the  access  to  our  thorny  fort — that  is, 
had  it  been  built  on  a proper  scale ; but  of  this  the 
nature  of  the  ground  on  which  our  tents  were  pitch- 
ed did  not  admit.  It  was,  in  fact,  too  spacious  to  be 
guarded  in  this  manner,  especially  on  dark  nights, 
when  the  range  of  vision  was  necessarily  very  lim- 
ited. Close  to  each  of  the  four  watch-towers,  for 


BY  A THORN  FENCE. 


269 


so  I may  call  them,  I erected  a hut  (of  course  with- 
in the  great  inclosure,  my  own  tent  forming  one), 
within  which  a man  or  two,  well  armed,  always 
slept,  and  were  always  in  readiness,  at  the  first  sig- 
nal of  alarm,  to  hurry  to  their  post.  I was  thus 
pretty  well  defended.  But  had  there  been  no  other 
barrier  to  oppose  a wild  enemy  than  the  fence  (it 
could  not  be  burned,  as  it  was  green),  it  alone  would 
have  enabled  us  to  resist  the  united  efforts  of  hund- 
reds of  men.  In  brief,  had  it  been  my  fate  to  die 
by  the  hands  of  savages,  they  would  at  least  have 
found  their  victory  dearly  purchased,  for  I had  vow- 
ed to  perish  as  became  a man. 


270 


TIDINGS  OF  PEREIRA. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Tidings  of  Pereira. — He  falls  in  with  a suspicious-looking  Party 
of  Ovambo. — The  Country  all  around  on  Fire. — Suspect  the 
Ovambo  wish  to  burn  me  out. — Visit  from  Chikongo,  an 
Ovambo  Chief,  Brother  of  the  Chief  of  the  same  Name  be- 
fore mentioned. — The  whole  Neighborhood  again  in  a Blaze 
within  a hundred  Yards  of  the  Camp. — Interview  with  Chi- 
kongo, escorted  by  sixty  Attendants  fully  armed.  — The 
Chief’s  Professions  most  friendly. — On  my  Guard  against 
Treachery. — Showed  him  I had  nothing  to  fear  from  him,  but 
he  had  much  to  fear  from  me. — Chikongo’s  Invitation. — 
Presents  interchanged. — My  Illness  continues. — Study  of 
Natural  History. — A Collection  of  Birds  and  Insects. — Par- 
tridges.— Antelopes. — Another  Elephant  shot. — Anticipa- 
tion of  a Feast. 

We  could  now  once  more  sleep  in  comparative 
security ; and  just  at  this  time  had  tidings  of  Pere- 
ira. A Bushman  chief,  Kanganda,  of  whom  men- 
tion has  already  been  made,  unexpectedly  made  his 
appearance  at  our  encampment,  and  brought  a few 
lines  from  our  messenger.  He  had  encountered 
him  in  the  neighborhood  of  an  Ovambo  cattle-post, 
belonging  to  a powerful  though  subordinate  cap- 
tain, by  name  Chikongo — brother,  as  I afterward 
discovered,  of  the  chief  of  the  Ovaquangari  bearing 
the  same  name.  Pereira  informed  me  that  thus  far 
he  had,  though  not  without  difficulty,  proceeded  sue- 


SUSPICIOUS  PRESENTS. 


271 


cessfully,  but  spoke  rather  despairingly  of  the  route 
before  him  to  the  Omuramba  U’Ovambo,  certain 
Bushmen  having  assured  him  that  the  whole  inter- 
vening veldt  was  destitute  of  water.  He  also  gave 
me  to  understand  that  he  had  fallen  in  with  a werft 
of  Ovambo,  who  had  not  only  received  him  in  a very 
friendly  manner,  but  had  presented  him  with  an  ox, 
which  he  had  slaughtered,  and  was  then  making  a 
halt  in  order  to  jerk  and  dry  it.  A thrill  of  horror 
shot  through  my  whole  frame  when  I came  to  this 
part  of  his  letter.  u Poor  man!11  thought  I,  u how 
little  you  know  the  nature  of  savages ! Why,  if 
harm  is  really  meant  you,  this  is  the  very  means 
they  would  employ  to  lull  you  into  a fatal  securi- 
ty.” I cherished  the  hope,  however,  that  his  de- 
parture from  their  werft  would  take  place  ere  the 
villains  had  time  to  mature  their  plan  for  his  de- 
struction ; for  I conjectured  that  before  they  put 
that  into  execution  they  must  communicate  with 
their  paramount  chief.  But  I must  not  anticipate 
my  story.  * 

Kanganda  had  left  us,  and  nothing  had  occurred 
for  some  time  to  divert  our  attention  from  our  daily 
monotonous  occupations,  when  suddenly,  one  morn- 
ing, the  veldt  was  observed  to  be  every  where  on 
fire.  Fires  of  the  kind  are,  however,  so  usual  at 
this  season  of  the  year,  that  I should  have  taken  no 
notice  of  the  occurrence  had  not  the  almost  simul- 
taneous breaking  out  of  many  of  these  conflagra- 
tions roused  my  suspicions,  or  at  least  left  a very 


272 


THE  COUNTRY  ON  FIRE. 


disagreeable  impression  on  my  mind.  Was  it  pos- 
sible that  the  Bushmen  had  set  fire  to  the  dry  veg- 
etation of  these  torrid  tracts  for  the  express  purpose 
of  fairly  burning  us  out  of  the  country  ? This  may 
seem  a rather  far-fetched  conjecture,  yet  an  incident 
of  a similar  nature  occurred  not  long  afterward, 
which  greatly  strengthened  my  belief  in  its  correct- 
ness. I had  just  had,  on  the  occasion  alluded  to,  a 
visit  from  Chikongo  (with  a number  of  his  follow- 
ers), the  Ovambo  chief  already  mentioned,  of  whom 
more  anon,  when  all  the  remaining  patches  of  pas- 
turage that  had  escaped  the  first  fire  were  observed 
to  be  at  the  same  moment  in  a blaze.  This  occur- 
red at  night.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day, 
while  amusing  myself  with  mending  my  camp  chair, 
I was  startled  by  a loud  rushing  noise  at  a distance, 
not  unlike  that  caused  by  a great  whirlwind,  which 
also,  at  this  period  of  the  year,  is  not  here  uncom- 
mon. My  back  happened  at  the  time  to  be  turned 
toward  the  aperture  answering  for  a door ; so,  with- 
out rising  to  witness  the  wind-storm,  I remarked 
only  to  Mortar,,  who  was  employed  on  some  work 
close  to  me,  “That’s  a lusty  blusterer.”  “Yes,” 
replied  he,  “but  he  won’t  come  this  way ; the  wind 
is  in  our  favor.”  We  each  mistook  the  other’s 
meaning.  A few  minutes  after,  finding  the  uproar 
both  increasing  and  apparently  approaching,  I rose, 
and  looked  in  the  direction  whence  the  noise  came. 
To  my  astonishment,  and,  let  me  add,  horror,  I then 
discovered  that,  instead  of  a whirlwind,  there  raged 


CONFLAGRATION  EXTINGUISHED. 


273 


a fearful  fire  within  less  than  500  yards  of  us. 
Hitherto,  as  Mortar  had  rightly  judged,  the  wind 
had  been  favorable  to  us;  but  at  this  moment  it 
changed  and  blew  right  in  our  teeth,  while,  before 
we  had  got  over  our  amazement,  the  fire  had  ad- 
vanced with  rapid  leaps  and  strides  almost  to  within 
gunshot.  Seizing  a blanket,  I called  out  to  my  men 
to  follow  me,  and  then  made  a dash  at  the  flames, 
which  drove  us  back  faster  than  we  had  rushed  for- 
ward. Destruction  seemed  for  the  moment  inevi- 
table. There  was  no  grass,  it  is  true,  within  the  in- 
closure, and  little  or  none  on  the  outside,  that  is, 
within  fifteen  or  twenty  feet ; there  were,  however, 
several  huts  covered  with  dry  grass  and  other  inflam- 
mable substances,  and  as  the  flames  often  bounded 
at  one  spring  to  a distance  of  forty  and  fifty  feet, 
there  was  more  than  a probability  that  our  camp 
would  catch  fire  and  be  destroyed.  Fortunately  the 
wind  was  fitfully  changeable,  which  enabled  us,  after 
considerable  exertion,  to  battle  with,  and  in  the 
most  dangerous  places  to  subdue,  the  devouring  ele- 
ment. Yet  many  hours  elapsed  before  we  deemed 
ourselves  safe. 

To  return  to  my  story.  One  morning,  a few 
days  previous  to  the  conflagration  just  described, 
I unexpectedly  received  a first  visit  from  Chikongo. 
He  was  escorted  by  about  thirty  Ovambo,  and  the 
same  number  of  vassal  Bushmen — that  is,  alto- 
gether by  about  sixty  followers,  armed  to  the  teeth. 
Eight  of  these  men  carried  muskets,  a weapon, 

S 


274 


INTERVIEW  WITH  A NATIVE  CHIEF. 


knowing  the  aversion  to,  not  to  say  contempt  of 
the  tribe  for  fire-arms,  I was  totally  unprepared  to 
see  in  their  hands.  But,  though  surprised,  I took 
care  not  to  appear  so.  Chikongo  was  personally 
unknown  to  me ; I had,  however,  heard  of  him,  and 
he  of  me  often,  and  that  years  ago.  He  had  been 
described  to  me  as  a chief  possessing  much  power 
and  influence  over  his  own  nation,  and  one  of  the 
very  few  native  potentates  well  disposed  toward 
Europeans.  His  friendliness,  indeed,  to  white  men 
had,  he  assured  me,  drawn  upon  him  the  ill  will  of 
Tjipanga,  the  paramount  chief  of  the  Ovambo,  and 
added  that  the  offense  he  had  thus  given  was  so 
hateful  to  the  majority  of  his  countrymen  that  he 
had  been  threatened,  should  it  be  repeated  by  any 
endeavor  on  his  part  to  promote  free  intercourse 
between  the  two  races,  with  immediate  expulsion 
from  Ondonga.  Of  course,  I listened  with  all  due 
deference  to  this  and  to  many  other  protestations 
of  his  sincerity,  coupled  with  abundant  professions 
of  friendship.  Not  for  a moment,  however,  did  I 
allow  myself  to  be  taken  off  my  guard.  My  com- 
paratively unprotected  and  helpless  position  re- 
quired the  utmost  circumspection  and  vigilance. 
1 was  not,  therefore,  to  be  lulled  into  a false  secu- 
rity by  the  fine  speeches  of  a barbarian,  who,  being 
at  the  head  of  a foe  delighting  in  treachery,  might, 
had  he  found  me  too  confiding,  have  fatally  en- 
snared both  myself  and  my  party.  There  was,  I 
grant,  good  reasons  for  believing  in  the  chief’s  sin- 


FRIENDLY  PROFESSIONS  DISTRUSTED. 


275 


cerity,  for  he  was  a man  of  sense,  penetration,  and 
judgment,  consequently  well  able  to  understand 
the  benefits  that  might  result  to  his  country  from 
the  establishment  of  intimate  relations  between  Af- 
ricans and  Europeans.  Moreover,  his  nation  had 
been  recently  taught,  by  the  severe  defeat  inflicted 
on  them  by  Mr.  Green,  fully  to  appreciate  the  en- 
ergy and  determination  of  white  men  when  once 
roused  to  enmity.  Thus  he  might,  purely  to  secure 
our  good-will,  and  his  own  and  his  followers’  safe- 
ty, be  really  in  earnest  in  his  professions  of  amity 
toward  us.  I gave  him,  nevertheless,  clearly  to 
understand,  and  I begged  him  to  convey  this  infor- 
mation to  his  chief,  that  I neither  feared  Ovambo 
outposts,  nor  their  whole  national  force  combined. 
And  this  assertion  was  not  idle  boast  or  empty 
defiance;  for  I could,  in  case  of  need,  have  confi- 
dently reckoned  on  the  assistance  of  almost  all  the 
Europeans  in  Damara  Land,  among  whom  were 
dare-devils  in  abundance,  to  say  nothing  of  the  nu- 
merous and  powerful  Hottentot  tribes  who,  under 
the  pretext  of  aiding  an  ally,  and  in  order  to  enrich 
themselves,  would  have  been  but  too  eager  to  join 
in  any  fray.  A signal  from  me,  or  from  any  of 
my  friends,  was  all  they  wanted  to  incite  them  to 
imbrue  their  hands  in  the  blood  of  their  enemies, 
and  of  this  the  chief  and  his  followers  could  not  be 
ignorant. 

Knowing  all  this,  Chikongo  pressed  me  hard  to 
abandon  my  camp  and  resort  to  his  village,  distant 


276 


STUDY  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY. 


two  or  three  days1  journey ; but,  for  obvious  rea- 
sons, I declined  the  invitation.  With  renewed  as- 
surances, therefore,  of  friendly  feelings,  he,  after 
having  enjoyed  my  hospitality  for  a couple  of  days, 
took  his  leave.  We  separated,  to  all  appearance, 
mutually  satisfied  with  one  another.  On  his  de- 
parture I presented  him  with  a few  articles  I thought 
he  would  prize,  while  he,  on  his  part,  kindly  offered 
to  supply  me  with  cattle  for  slaughter,  should  I 
pass  by  his  homestead  before  he  broke  up  for  his 
return  to  Ondonga — a move  he  contemplated  as 
soon  as  the  rainy  season  set  in. 

I continued  still  to  suffer  severely  from  the  ef- 
fects of  fever,  which  seemed  determined  not  to  leave 
me.  My  debility  was  indeed  extreme ; I could 
not  remain  standing  on  my  legs  for  a few  moments 
together,  yet,  strange  to  say,  I could,  though  not 
without  much  pain,  walk  a good  while.  This  en- 
abled me  to  vary  the  monotony  of  my  solitary  life 
by  indulging  in  my  favorite  pursuit — the  study  of 
Natural  History. 

Regularly  every  morning  I sauntered  out  with 
my  fowling-piece,  and  rarely  returned  without  a 
few  specimens  of  either  birds  or  insects.  It'  is  true 
I met  at  first  with  but  sorry  success,  but  on  the  re- 
turn of  spring,  i.  e.,  of  vegetable  and  insect  life,  the 
winged  tribes  became  gradually  more  numerous 
and  varied,  and  by  dint  of  perseverance  I succeed- 
ed, in  the  course  of  three  months,  in  shooting  and 
preserving  no  less  than  nine  hundred  birds  and 


ANTELOPES  AND  PARTRIDGES. 


277 


bats.  To  be  sure,  the  exertion  was  sometimes  rath- 
er too  much  for  my  broken  health,  but,  on  the 
whole,  I enjoyed  the  exercise  amazingly ; so  much 
so  that  I sometimes  congratulated  myself  on  my 
illness,  as,  by  confining  me  for  a considerable  time 
to  one  locality,  it  enabled  me  to  collect  many  val- 
uable and  interesting  data  relative  to  the  natural 
history  of  birds,  insects,  etc.  ; I besides  became 
acquainted  with  many,  to  me,  new  species  of  the 
winged  creation,  and  learned  much  of  the  migra- 
tory habits  of  the  birds  indigenous  to  these  parts. 

Of  minor  game  we  saw  now  little  or  none,  with 
the  exception  of  partridges,  and  one  or  two  species 
of  diminutive  antelopes.  I was  too  weak,  however, 
to  pursue  either  with  any  success.  On  our  first  ar- 
rival in  the  neighborhood  elephants  had  been  rather 
numerous,  but  in  proportion  as  the  water  dried  up 
these  animals  deserted  us.  Still  a few  of  them  occa- 
sionally strayed  to  our  wells  to  quench  their  thirst ; 
and  Kamapjie,  who  was  at  present  convalescent,  was 
upon  several  occasions  sent  without  any  successful 
result  in  pursuit  of  one  or  two  of  these  lingerers  in 
the  vicinity.  One  day  he  came  up  with  an  old  bull, 
and  gave  him  no  less  than  seven  bullets  from  my 
big  rifle,  yet,  strange  to  say,  he  afterward  followed 
up  the  brute’s  spoor  for  nearly  two  days  unavail- 
ingly.  Want  of  water  compelled  him  finally  to  give 
up  the  chase  in  despair. 

At  about  four  o’clock  in  the  afternoon,  precisely 
a week  after  the  incident  just  mentioned  took  place, 


278 


A DANGEROUS  STALK. 


I had  occasion  to  go  outside  our  camp.  Now  paral- 
lel with  it,  and  within  one  hundred  yards’  distance, 
there  ran  a well-trodden  elephant  footpath ; I had 
often  before  noticed  it,  and  was  just  about  re-enter- 
ing the  inclosure,  when  my  eyes  chanced  to  fall  upon 
this  very  path,  along  which,  to  my  great  surprise,  I 
saw  a huge  elephant  shaping  his  course  at  a quick 
step  directly  for  the  water,  distant  some  six  or  seven 
hundred  yards.  Quick  as  thought  I rushed  back  to 
my  wagon,  seized  upon  my  rifle,  bullet-pouch,  and 
powder-flask,  and  was  instantly  on  the  animal’s 
track.  But  the  vley  whereto  he  was  wending  his 
way  was  very  much  exposed — in  fact,  quite  unfit 
for  stalking ; consequently,  no  shelter  being  near  in 
which  to  take  refuge  in  case  of  an  attack,  I natu- 
rally dreaded  an  encounter  with  the  monster.  Rec- 
ollecting, however,  the  penury  of  our  larder,  I de- 
termined boldly  to  face  the.  danger.*  It  was  an 
anxious  and  exciting  moment,  for  a single  shot  was 
to  decide  the  brute’s  fate.  Stalking  cautiously  for 
some  time,  I succeeded  in  approaching  unperceived 
to  within  seventy-five  yards  of  where  he  stood.  He 
was  at  that  time  thirstily  taking  his  fill  at  one  of 
the  wells,  with,  as  ill  luck  would  have  it,  his  snout 
just  lifted  up,  full  fronting  me.  There  was,  there- 
fore, no  time  to  lose,  and,  relying  fully  on  my  rifle, 
I took  a deliberate  aim  at  his  fore  leg,  and  fired. 
As  I had  anticipated,  the  bullet  did  its  work  well, 
smashing  completely  the  bones  of  the  member  it 
had  struck.  In  an  instant  the  huge  animal  came 


279 


A “ blow-out”  in  the  desert. 

down  in  a kneeling  position,  his  head  resting  heav- 
ily on  the  ground.  Endeavoring,  nevertheless,  to 
drag  himself  away,  he  exposed  his  other  fore  leg, 
which  in  another  moment  shared  the  fate  of  its  fel- 
low. A few  more  seconds,  and  he  rolled  over  on 
his  side  a corpse. 

The  whole  scene  witnessed  by  my  men  from  the 
wagon  had  afforded  them  unlimited  gratification, 
derived  chiefly  from  their  anticipation  of  a glorious 
“blow-out11  of  meat  and  fat.  For  my  part,  I was 
not  only  gratified  at  my  success,  but  truly  thankful, 
as  from  this  supply  I should  now  be  able  to  fatten 
both  bipeds  and  quadrupeds,  who  had  certainly,  of 
late,  lost  very  much  of  the  rotund  comeliness  of 
their  proportions.  “Sir,11  said  trusty  Mortar,  on 
viewing  the  enormous  carcass,  “this  is  indeed  a 
God-send.  It  is  like  the  arrival  of  a long-expected 
vessel,  laden  with  many  goodly  things.11  I heartily 
concurred  in  my  servant’s  happy  and  appropriate 
allusion. 

The  dead  animal  was,  on  examination,  identified 
as  the  one  hunted  and  fired  at  by  Kamapjie,  but  he 
did  not  appear  to  have  suffered  much  inconvenience 
from  the  wounds  received  on  that  occasion. 


280 


ANXIETY  ABOUT  PEREIRA. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Anxiety  about  Pereira. — His  safe  Return. — Rejoicings. — He 
brings  Intelligence  that  Mr.  Frederick  Green  is  on  his  Way 
to  join  me. — The  extreme  Precariousness  of  my  Situation. — 
Native  Politics. — A u Commando”  with  a numerous  Escort^ 
dispatched  from  Ondonga  to  destroy  me. — This  fearful  In- 
telligence brings  Mr.  Green  to  my  Rescue. — An  heroic  Act 
of  Friendship. — The  Expedition  sent  against  me  arrives. — 
The  murderous  Project  abandoned. — The  Dangers  escaped 
by  Pereira. — Green’s  Difficulties  in  advancing. — I go  to 
meet  him. — A rather  arduous  Enterprise.— The  joyful  Meet- 
ing.— Prospects  not  much  mended  by  it. — Resolved,  after 
much  Hesitation  on  my  Part,  to  proceed  to  Mr.  Green’s  En- 
campment on  the  Omuramba. — Singular  Hardships  and  Fa- 
tigues of  this  Journey. — Scarcity  of  Water. — Thirst. — Suf- 
fering from  excessive  Heat. 

The  time  had  at  last  approached  when  I might 
look  for  the  return  of  Pereira  and  his  party.  As 
it  drew  nearer  and  nearer,  my  anxiety  naturally 
increased,  for  I had  never  been  able  to  ascertain 
whether  he  had  succeeded  or  not  in  forcing  his  way 
through  the  savage  tract  he  had  to  traverse  back  to 
Otjimbingue.  Great  God ! he  might,  for  aught  we 
knew  to  the  contrary,  have  succumbed  to  the  phys- 
ical difficulties  on  all  sides  besetting  him,  or,  still 
worse,  have  fallen  a sacrifice  to  the  treachery  of  the 
Ovambo.  Either  of  these  suppositions  was  too 


THE  RETURN  OF  PEREIRA. 


281 


painful  to  dwell  upon.  Happily,  when  expectation 
and  hope  deferred  had  nearly  reached  their  climax, 
our  anxieties  were  removed  by  Pereira’s  most  wel- 
come appearance ; an  event  which,  after  he  had  been 
absent  nearly  three  months  and  a half,  took  place 
on  the  morning  of  the  17th  of  November.  He 
reached  the  camp  in  good  health  and  spirits,  hav- 
ing, in  almost  every  respect,  acquitted  himself  to 
my  entire  satisfaction.  To  add  to  my  delight,  he 
brought  me  the  joyful  and  unexpected  intelligence 
that  my  friend,  Mr.  Frederick  Green,  was  in  the 
neighborhood.  He  had  come,  as  I was  assured, 
and  saw  at  once,  to  render  me,  in  my  jeopardous 
position,  all  the  assistance  in  his  power.  This  un- 
looked-for re-enforcement  was  indeed  most  season- 
able, for  I now  learned  for  the  first  time  the  ex- 
treme precariousness  of  my  situation.  I will  de- 
scribe it  as  briefly  as  possible. 

At  about  the  time  that  Pereira  reached  the 
southern  confines  of  Damara  Land,  two  distinct 
parties  of  Ovambo  arrived  also  in  those  parts  from 
Ondonga.  The  former  were  embassadors  from  the 
paramount  chief  Chjipanga,  while  the  others  rep- 
resented a certain  portion  of  the  Ovambo  popula- 
tion, dissatisfied  at  the  elevation  of  Tjipanga,  on 
the  decease  of  his  elder  brother  Nangoro,  to  the 
chieftainship.  Each  of  these  parties  had  more  than 
one  object  in  view.  The  emissaries  of  the  chief  were 
anxious  to  establish  friendly  relations  with  J onker, 
to  ascertain  as  spies  the  temper  of  the  country,  and 


282 


NATIVE  POLITICS. 


to  gather  particulars  about  your  humble  servant, 
i-  e.,  to  learn  as  distinctly  as  possible  what  my 
views  and  intentions,  etc.,  were;  while  the  rebel- 
lious embassy,  if  I may  so  call  them,  were  bent  on 
gaining  Jonker  over  to  their  *cause,  professing  at 
the  same  time  to  have  come  for  the  purpose  of 
warning  my  friends  of  the  terrible  fate  that  threat- 
ened me.  What  that  fate  was  they  very  clearly 
pointed  out  by  stating  that,  on  their  departure  from 
Ondonga,  a “commando,”  with  a numerous  escort, 
had  been  expressly  dispatched  into  my  neighbor- 
hood on  an  avowed  mission  to  destroy  me  or  any 
of  my  men  they  might  chance  to  fall  in  with. 

This  fearful  intelligence  reached  my  friend  just 
on  his  return  from  a distant  and  harassing  expe- 
dition to  the  Matibili  nation,  far  to  the  eastward 
of  Lake  Ngami.  Its  effect  upon  him  was  such  that, 
to  his  undying  honor,  he  determined,  without  a 
moment’s  hesitation,  incurring  thereby  huge  hard- 
ships and  perils,  to  hurry  to  my  assistance,  or,  in 
the  worst  event,  to  avenge  my  death,  should  he  be 
too  late  to  prevent  the  execution  of  the  murderous 
and  hellish  designs  of  the  Ovambo.  Most  deeply 
was  I affected  by  this  noble  deed.  Indeed,  this 
single  act  of  devotion  was  to  me  infinitely  more 
gratifying  than  would  be  all  the  wealth  the  world 
has  to  bestow.  It  was  heart-warming  to  know  that 
at  least  one  human  bosom  beat  genuinely  for  the 
solitary  wanderer.  Dear  Green  ! an  approving 
conscience  must  be  your  greatest  reward;  but, 


A NARROW  ESCAPE. 


283 


should  these  lines  ever  reach  you — and  God  grant 
they  may  ere  long! — I beg  you  will  here  accept 
my  poor  but  warm  and  sincere  thanks  for  your 
spirited  resolve  to  come  to  my  rescue  when  dangers 
so  great,  of  which  I was  unaware,  encompassed  me. 
Believe  me,  this  one  act  of  heroic  friendship  has,  in 
my  own  estimation,  much  more  than  outweighed 
any  trifling  service  it  has  been  in  my  power  to  ren- 
der you.  Whatever  may  be  our  future  fate,  when 
life  itself  shall  no  longer  possess  the  charms  and 
illusions  of  youth,  uhaec  olim  meminisse  juvabit” 
— it  will  be  pleasant  to  recall  to  remembrance  the 
days  of  yore,  and  gratefully  to  dwell  on  the  recol- 
lection of  your  humane  and  brotherly  conduct. 
God  speed  you  in  your  present  interesting  but  haz- 
ardous pursuit ! 

Shortly  after  Pereira  had  joined  us,  I learned 
that  the  expedition  sent  against  me  had  actually 
arrived  in  my  neighborhood.  From  some  unex- 
plained cause,  however,  its  leader  had  thought  fit  to 
abandon  his  murderous  purposes,  and  to  evacuate 
the  country  without  any  attempt  to  molest  me. 
It  appeared  certain,  nevertheless,  that  the  party  he 
commanded  had  earnestly  sought  the  destruction 
of  poor  Pereira ; they  had  again  visited  the  post 
where  he  had  been  detained  under  the  plea  of  par- 
taking of  their  hospitality,  a snare,  as  I had  sus- 
pected, to  lull  him  into  a sense  of  security  till  the 
proper  moment  should  arrive  to  put  him  to  death. 
Fortunately,  the  villains  only  reached  their  destina- 


284 


A week’s  TRAVELING  IN  AFRICA. 


tion  a few  hours  after  Pereira  had  left  it,  and,  night 
coming  on,  they  had,  deeming  farther  pursuit  use- 
less, retraced  their  steps  to  Ondonga.  It  was  thus 
evident  that  I and  my  whole  party  had  narrowly 
escaped  destruction.  Had  the  villains  been  as 
prompt  and  determined  as  they  were  viciously  in- 
clined, or  had  they  attacked  us  separately,  they 
might  surely  have  massacred  us  all. 

I said  just  now  that  Pereira  had  brought  news 
of  Mr.  Green  being  in  our  neighborhood ; in  so  say- 
ing I was  not  quite  correct,  for  my  friend  had  un- 
fortunately, in  consequence  of  the  drought,  been 
stopped  on  the  U’Ovambo,  a circumstance  which 
placed  between  us  a country  of  no  less  than  eight 
days1  journey  in  extent — a week’s  traveling,  dear 
reader,  being  in  the  inhospitable  regions  of  South 
Africa  too  often  a question  of  life  and  death.  So 
it  nearly  proved  in  the  present  instance.  Indeed, 
Green  was  now  at  the  very  veldt  where  I had  been 
stopped  four  months  previously  in  my  endeavors 
to  return  homeward.  There  seemed,  therefore,  but 
little  chance  of  his  joining  us  before  the  rains  fell, 
an  event  that  appeared  still  very  distant.  Even 
Pereira,  accompanied  by  only  one  or  two  individ- 
uals, and  one  or  two  beasts  of  burden,  had  nearly 
perished  on  his  route  from  want  of  water.  He 
was  on  one  occasion  three  days  without  a drop  of 
the  precious  liquid,  and  was  actually  obliged,  in 
order  to  obtain  a supply,  to  retrace  his  steps  to  the 
spot  whence  he  had  started.  How,  then,  accom- 


A WILL  AND  A WAY. 


285 


plish  this  transit  with  twenty  men,  and  thrice  that 
number  of  cattle  ? 

Thus  the  situation,  both  of  myself  and  of  my 
new  ally,  was,  to  say  the  least,  at  present  very  un- 
pleasant. Our  forces  once  combined,  we  should, 
however,  be  tolerably  secure  from  any  attack  our 
foes  might  still  meditate — nay,  strong  enough  to 
set  them  at  defiance.  Such  being  the  case,  I was 
determined  to  test  to  the  utmost  the  truth  of  the 
good  old  saying,  “Where  there  is  a will  there  is  a 
way.”  Accordingly,  I wrote  to  Green  to  say  that 
I was  on  the  start  to  join  him,  requesting  him,  at 
the  same  time,  to  make  a similar  move  from  fhe 
south,  that  we  might,  if  possible,  meet  half  way. 
This  letter  I intrusted  to  the  care  of  Kanganda, 
who  fortunately  happened  to  be  on  another  visit 
to  my  camp.  I gave  the  messenger  strict  injunc- 
tions to  use  all  dispatch,  and  not  to  leave  my  friend 
(after  he  had  once  reached  him)  till  our  junction 
should  be  effected. 

As  previously  stated,  we  had  been  induced  firmly 
to  believe  that  the  surrounding  country  was  totally 
impracticable  for  a large  party  at  this  season  of  the 
year.  We  had  been  brought,  partly  by  our  own 
explorations,  and  partly  by  the  assertions  of  Bush- 
men, to  this  conclusion.  It  was,  we  now  learned, 
quite  a mistake.  Pereira,  on  his  return  journey, 
had  taken  an  entirely  different  route,  and  had  for- 
tunately discovered  one  or  two  spots  where  he  was 
fully  convinced  a sufficiency  of  water  might,  with 


286 


THE  FRIENDS  MEET. 


a little  labor  and  patience,  be  obtained.  On  this  in- 
formation, referable  only  to  the  first  portion  7of  our 
road — hardly  more  than  a third  of  the  whole  dis- 
tance to  be  traversed — rested  all  our  hopes  of  suc- 
cess. But  I had  made  up  my  mind  for  the  enter- 
prise, and,  to  use  a homely  phrase,  was  determined. 
u come  what  come  might,”  at  all  hazards,  to  carry 
it  out. 

While  the  necessary  preparations  for  this  pur- 
pose were  being  completed,  I sent  a party  in  ad- 
vance to  clear  a passage  and  to  dig  for  water,  etc. ; 
and  on  the  23d  of  November  broke  up  my  camp, 
and  proceeded  southward  with  the  wagon  and  the 
rest  of  my  party.  By  dint  of  great  exertions,  we 
succeeded  in  performing  several  days’  journeys  in 
safety,  till  we  came  to  a dead  lock  at  a place  call- 
ed Orujo.  From  this  point  to  the  Omuramba 
U’Ovambo  there  was  positively  no  water  for  cattle, 
and  little  or  none  for  men.  Before  determining 
on  my  future  proceedings,  I decided,  therefore,  on 
awaiting  here  my  friend’s  arrival.  He  was  longer 
in  making  his  appearance  than  was  pleasant.  In- 
deed, growing  weary  of  expectation,  I dispatched 
fresh  messengers  to  bring  me  tidings  of  his  where- 
abouts. They  fortunately  crossed  his  track  almost 
immediately,  and  in  a very  little  time  afterward  I 
had  the  gratification  of  once  more  shaking  hands 
with  this  stanchest  of  friends. 

I need  scarcely  say  that  our  meeting  was  hearty 
and  joyful.  It  did  not,  however,  materially  bright- 


A DIFFICULT  ENTERPRISE. 


287 


en  our  prospects.  An  uncouth  country  of  vast  ex- 
tent, abandoned  alike  by  man  and  beast,  and  thickly 
covered  with  bush,  lay  before  us.  Its  soil,  more- 
over, was  so  soft  as  to  yield  most  distressingly  to 
the  foot  at  every  step,  while,  to  the  best  of  our 
knowledge,  there  was  no  water  whatever  to  be  found 
for  our  cattle.  The  transit  through  this  tract,  un- 
der a tropical  sun  so  broiling  as  to  blister  feet  and 
hands,  and  on  the  slightest  exertion  to  - cover  the 
body  from  head  to  foot  with  perspiration,  would  re- 
quire at  least  four  days,  including  many  hours  bor- 
rowed from  the  night,  for  its  accomplishment. 
There  were,  besides,  many  other  difficulties  to  be 
encountered.  My  driver,  for  example,  had  just  at 
this  time  a most  severe  relapse  of  fever,  and  most 
of  the  men  were  still  in  a very  debilitated  state. 
It  may  not,  therefore,  appear  suprising  to  my  read- 
ers that  I hesitated  and  flinched  somewhat  in  dread 
of  an  enterprise  that,  to  say  the  least,  had  a very 
desperate  look.  It  is  true  I had,  as  the  reader  will 
probably  remember,  confronted  and  successfully 
overcome  difficulties  quite  as  formidable  as  those 
now  facing  us — perhaps  more  so ; but  in  this  case 
there  were  circumstances  which  made  the  undertak- 
ing particularly  trying  and  dangerous.  Mr.  Green, 
however,  accustomed  to  deeds  of  daring,  urged  me 
unceasingly  to  make  the  attempt,  and  I yielded  at 
last  to  his  solicitations.  The  journey  being  determ- 
ined on,  our  plan  was  to  push  on  as  fast  as  men 
and  beasts  could  travel  to  a certain  point,  where  it 


288 


THE  CAMP  REACHED. 


was  said  we  might  chance  to  find  a little  water. 
Should  this  resource  fail  us,  which  was  highly  prob- 
able, Green  was  to  advance  as  rapidly  as  possible 
with  the  loose  cattle,  and  such  men  as  could  be 
spared  from  the  wagon,  while  I followed  at  an  easier 
but  still  unusually  quick  pace.  It  was  farther  ar- 
ranged that,  as  soon  as  my  friend  succeeded  in  find- 
ing water,  and  had  given  a drink  to  the  beasts  of 
burden,  he,  or  some  trustworthy  servant,  should  im- 
mediately return  to  me  with  a portion  of  the  re- 
freshed cattle.  But  I will  not  trespass  on  my  read- 
er’s patience  by  entering  into  all  the  details  of  our 
harassing  march.  Let  it  suffice  to  say  that,  with 
immense  exertions— suffering  the  most  painful  anx- 
iety all  the  time — we  finally  reached  Green’s  camp 
on  Omuramba  in  safety,  having  sustained  no  farther 
loss  than  that  of  a dog  and  two  or  three  new-born 
goat-kids. 

During  the  five  days  this  journey  lasted  we  had 
had  little  to  satisfy  either  hunger  or  thirst.  Its  hap- 
py issue  was,  under  Providence,  mainly  owing  to 
the  cheerful  co-operation  and  indefatigable  exer- 
tions of  my  friend.  Nothing  less  than  his  energy 
could  have  given  us  so  prompt,  and,  comparatively, 
so  cheap  a success. 


HOMEWARD  COURSE  PURSUED. 


289 


CHAPTER  XXIY. 

Homeward  Course  pursued. — The  Omuramba  Water-course. 
— Whence,  being  sometimes  dry,  does  it  derive  its  frequent 
Flood  of  Water  ? — The  rainy  Season. — Sufferings  from  Wet- 
ness and  Wind. — A Bushman  devoured  by  a Lion  Man-eater. 
— A Lion  Hunt. — A marvelous  Shot  in  the  Dark. — A Duel 
in  the  Desert. — A Lion  killed. — A perilous  Position. — A 
wonderful  Escape. — A Lion’s  Grief  for  the  Loss  of  his 
Friend. — The  History  of  two  Lions,  the  Terror  of  the  Dis- 
trict.— Three  Men  carried  off  in  the  Night  from  a Village 
by  the  Man-eaters. — A hundred  human  Beings  fall  a Prey 
to  them. — The  Country  thereabouts  abandoned  by  human 
Beings. 

After  a few  days  devoted  to  rest  and  recreation, 
our  wagons  having  in  the  mean  time  been  put  in 
good  repair,  we  diligently  pursued  our  homeward 
course.  Our  passage  now  lay  along  the  banks  and 
in  the  bed  of  the  Omuramba  U’Ovambo,  which  was 
several  days1  journey  west  of  the  northern  route  I 
had  formerly  followed.  This  water-course  was  the 
same  as  the  one  that  has  all  along  puzzled  me  so 
much.  At  this  point  it  had  been  noted  by  previous 
explorers  as  a current  of  some  pretensions — broad, 
deep,  and  running  through  regular,  well-defined 
banks.  Just  a year  before  Messrs.  Green  and  Hahn 
had  found  it  an  almost  continuous  stream,  abound- 
ing in  water  flowing  westward,  and  finally  forming 

T 


290 


THE  OMURAMBA  WATER-COURSE. 


the  Lake  Onondova.  It  was  now  quite  dry,  or,  at 
most,  capable  only  of  occasionally  filling  pits  and 
wells.  How,  then,  or  whence  does  it  receive  its 
temporary  flood?  It  appears  utterly  impossible 
that  such  a stream  should  take  its  rise  in  the  sandy 
districts  stretching  far  and  wide  to  the  eastward. 
Nor  is  it  likely  that  it  is  fed  by  the  great  permanent 
river  Okavango  (though  this  supposition  seems  at 
first  sight  apt  to  solve  the  mystery),  for  at  this  point 
the  Omuramba  ITOvambo  (according  to  boiling- 
water  observations)  is  several  hundred  feet  higher 
than  any  of  those  parts  of  the  Okavango  visited  by 
me,  while  the  travelers  I have  just  named  could  not 
possibly  be  deceived  as  to  the  direction  of  the  flow 
of  water.  The  configuration  of  the  country,  too, 
equally  forbids  one  to  connect  this  water-course 
with  the  Omuramba  Ua’  Matako,  as  the  main  out- 
let whereby  it  is  drained  off  is  certainly Tioughe. 
To  hazard,  then,  a last  conjecture,  let  us  suppose  its 
chief  source  to  be  in  the  mountains  of  Otjihejnenne, 
whence  the  Omuramba,  flowing  northward  and  join- 
ing the  ITOvambo  in  about  19°  of  S.  latitude,  is 
known  to  spring. 

The  Omuramba  ITOvambo  is  a great  resort  of 
elephants  in  the  dry  season.  Mr.  Green  had  some 
excellent  sport  in  this  country  before  he  joined  me, 
and  we  still  had  hopes  of  encountering  some  of 
these  animals.  The  setting  in  of  the  rains,  how- 
ever, put  an  end  to  them  completely ; for  the  com- 
mencement of  this  season  is  the  signal  for  all  wild 


WETNESS  AND  WIND. 


291 


quadruped  game  to  abandon  permanent  water,  of 
which  they  have  an  instinctive  dread,  and  which, 
knowing  well  that  traps  of  one  kind  or  another  are 
invariably,  in  such  localities,  set  for  their  destruc- 
tion, they  frequent  only  from  necessity. 

The  rains  now  fell  in  torrents  for  many  consecu- 
tive days,  and  the  country  south  of  the  Omuramba 
being  unusually  level,  the  wagon -wheels  sinking 
often  in  the  soil  above  their  naves,  we  had  some  dif- 
ficulty in  getting  along.  Doubtless  we  had  abund- 
ance of  water  at  present ; yet,  despite  this  great  ad- 
vantage, the  exceeding  wetness  of  the  weather  was 
both  inconvenient  and  uncomfortable.  Our  attend- 
ants were  the  greatest  sufferers ; as  the  wagons  were 
too  crowded  with  stores  and  baggage  to  give  shelter 
to  more  than  one  or  two  persons,  they  were  ex- 
posed to  perpetual  drenchings. 

On  reaching  the  point  where  my  own  and  my 
friend’s  routes  joined,  I detached  three  or  four  men 
with  instructions  to  push  ahead  to  Otjimbingue. 
My  object  in  this  move  was  to  acquaint  our  friends 
of  our  safety,  etc.,  and  to  get  whatever  news  there 
might  be  from  that  settlement.  This  party  was  to 
proceed  via  Okamabuti  and  Omanbonde,  while  we 
ourselves  struck  off  to  the  eastward,  in  order  to 
reach  the  Omuramba  ITa’  Matako  at  Otjituo — a 
country  where  we  were  likely  to  meet  elephants. 
But  here,  as  elsewhere,  the  rain  had  forestalled  us. 
No  game  of  any  description  was  to  be  seen,  though 
the  animals  had  evidently  only  lately  dispersed. 


292 


MAN-EATERS. 


The  fresh  remains  of  a giraffe  destroyed  by  a lion 
at  Otjituo  afforded  good  proof  of  this. 

The  place  just  named  was  one  of  those  of  which 
mention  has  already  been  made,  haunted  so  fiercely 
by  man-eaters.  A Bushman  chief,  who  had  some 
time  before  come  to  pay  Mr.  Green  a visit,  fell  a 
prey  to  one  of  them.  Here  is  the  narrative  of  this 
horrid  event,  in  Mr.  Green’s  own  words : 

June  20th , 1858.  At  about  eleven  o’clock  last 
night  I was  startled  out  of  my  sleep  by  a dreadful 
shriek,  such  as  I had  never  heard  uttered  by  any 
human  being  before.  The  thought  at  once  struck 
me  that  the  two  lions  which  had  given  us  such 
trouble  on  a former  occasion  were  again  prowling 
about,  and  had  perhaps  seized  some  of  the  Bushmen 
lately  come  to  pay  me  a visit,  who  were  encamped 
at  the  back  of  my  kraal.  Snatching  up  my  rifle 
and  pistol,  I bounded  out  of  bed,  and  soon  found 
my  suspicions  confirmed  by  the  dismal  howls  and 
wailings  of  several  terrified  Bushmen  whom  I met 
hastening  toward  my  wagon  for  protection.  A 
poor  lad  whom  we  had  captured  the  day  before 
was  giving  vent  to  his  distress  in  piteous  lamenta- 
tions for  the  loss  of  his  father,  whom  one  of  the 
lions  had  destroyed.  Calling  to  some  of  my  people 
to  follow,  I hurried  away  in  the  direction  pointed 
out  by  this  poor  fellow.  The  night,  in  itself  in- 
tensely dark,  received  an  additional  deep  gloom 
from  the  shadow  of  a cluster  of  thick -boughed 
trees  under  which  we  were  encamped.  In  order, 


THE  REMAINS  OF  A VICTIM. 


293 


therefore,  to  throw  some  light  on  surrounding  ob- 
jects, we  set  fire  to  our  temporary  huts  and  com- 
menced our  search.  Mr.  Hahn  also  came  to  our 
assistance  with  a lantern ; the  dogs  meantime  kept 
up  a furious  barking ; yet,  with  the  certain  knowl- 
edge that  the  brute  was  only  a few  paces  distant 
from  us,  we  could  not  obtain  a glimpse  of  the  cow- 
ardly murderer.  At  length,  to  the  horror  of  us 
all,  we  stumbled  on  the  mangled  remains  of  the  un- 
fortunate Bushman  who  had  fallen  a victim  to  the 
monster.  One  of  his  arms  was  bitten  short  off 
at  the  shoulder,  while  his  hand  still  convulsively 
clutched  a portion  of  his  “dress.'”  This,  and  some 
portion  of  his  intestines,  was  all  that  remained  of  a 
man  alive  and  quite  unconscious  of  the  fate  that 
awaited  him  only  a few  minutes  before ! The  sight 
was  both  shocking  and  sickening  in  the  extreme, 
and  as  it  was  now  useless  to  continue  a farther 
search  in  the  dark,  we  returned  to  our  respective 
bivouacs.  Sleep  was  of  course  out  of  the  ques- 
tion. The  dreadful  scene  haunted  my  imagination 
unceasingly,  and  I resolved,  as  soon  as  the  day 
should  dawn,  to  pursue  the  horrible  man-eater,  and 
terminate,  if  possible,  his  existence. 

Accordingly,  every  man  possessed  of  a gun  join- 
ed this  morning  in  the  chase.  At  a short  distance 
from  the  camp  the  brute  was  discovered,  but,  though 
we  followed  him  up  for  a long  time,  we  got  no  shot 
at  him.  The  cowardly  night-prowler  took  care  not 
to  expose  himself;  and,  unfortunately,  only  two 


294 


A SHOT  IN  THE  DARK. 


dogs  ventured  to  face  him.  Had  the  whole  pack 
assailed  him,  he  would  certainly  have  been  brought 
to  bay  and  dispatched.  We  were  on  several  occa- 
sions close  upon  him,  but  the  tenseness  of  the  bush 
always  helped  him  to  escape  before  we  could  get  a 
good  aim  at  him.  At  length,  losing  his  track,  and 
endeavoring  in  vain  to  recover  it,  we  were  com- 
pelled to  face  homeward  without  ridding  the  coun- 
try of  so  dire  a scourge. 

On  a subsequent  occasion,  however,  when  return- 
ing from  the  Ovambo  journey,  Mr.  Green  encoun- 
tered this  lion,  and  others  of  the  same  species,  when 
his  endeavors  to  destroy  them  proved  more  success- 
ful. This  hunt  is  thus  noticed  in  my  friend’s  diary 
of  September,  1858 : 

u On  the  night  of  the  second  instant  I made  one 
of  the  most  marvelous  shots  at  an  animal  in  the 
dark  that  perhaps  has  ever  been  made  by  any  man. 
I had  just  arrived  at  Otjiomavare,  the  old  haunt 
of  the  man-eaters,  and  was  nightly  expecting  a visit 
from  some  of  them,  firmly  resolved  to  kill  a few,  if 
possible,  when  an  opportunity  of  doing  so  occurred 
in  a rather  unexpected  way. 

66  It  was  about  three  o’clock  in  the  morning ; the 
moon  had  sunk  below  the  horizon,  and  all  nature 
was  enveloped  in  darkness,  when  the  humor  took 
me  to  have  a night  ramble.  Seizing  my  trusty 
double-barreled  gun  and  my  revolving  rifle,  I stood 
for  some  minutes  a silent  and  solitary  listener  to 
the  terrific  roarings  of  two  male  lions,  who  after  a 


A MARVELOUS  HIT. 


295 


while  passed  along  the  bank  of  the  river  opposite 
to  that  on  which  we  were  encamped,  when,  sudden- 
ly halting  again,  they  commenced  another  duet  in 
as  loud  a strain  as  their  lungs  could  pour  forth.  I 
was,  by  this  time,  joined  by  John  Mortar,  Bonfield, 
and  two  of  my  native  servants,  all  in  readiness  with 
their  guns,  like  myself,  in  case  the  brutes  should 
attempt  an  aggressive  move.  I now  advanced  a 
few  paces  from  the  wagon  toward  the  river,  and, 
raising  my  double-barreled  gun,  called  to  my  Da- 
mara  Gukub  (for,  from  deafness  in  one  ear,  I can 
not  distinguish  accurately  the  direction  of  sound) 
to  point  as  near  as  he  could  to  the  quarter  whence 
he  heard  the  lions.  This  done,  I placed  the  gun 
on  an  elevation  of  about  300  yards,  the  distance  as 
I supposed  of  the  animals,  and  fired.  No  sooner 
had  the  explosion  taken  place  than  one  of  the  lions 
abruptly  ceased  roaring,  uttering  at  the  same  time 
a startling  growl,  such  as  always  announces  the  re- 
ceipt of  a gunshot  wound  by  these  brutes.  The 
“clap11  of- the  bullet  against  the  beast’s  hide,  so 
well  known  to  sportsmen,  was  not  to  be  mistaken, 
and  the  by-standers  simultaneously  shouted  out, 
“The  lion  is  struck!11  I stood  amazed,  scarcely 
able  to  credit  the  fact,  and  might,  perhaps,  have 
thought  that  my  hearing  had  deceived  me,  had  not 
Mortar,  Bonfield,  and  others  present  declared  with 
one  voice  that  the  lion  must  unquestionably  have 
been  hit. 

“After  a short  interval  of  silence  the  roaring 


296 


FRIENDSHIP  OF  LIONS. 


again  commenced,  much  to  the  left,  however,  of  the 
sp,ot  at  which  I had  directed  my  shot.  We  all 
now  listened  anxiously  for  the  other  brute,  from 
whom,  at  last,  there  came  a faint  outcry,  as  if  from 
an  animal  in  extreme  pain.  His  unwounded  com- 
panion, not  being  able  to  induce  him  to  flee,  ap- 
peared to  hurry  back  to  his  aid,  roaring  all  the 
while  most  lustily.  All  his  exertions  to  remove 
his  sick  mate  proved  nevertheless  unavailing,  for 
he  remained  still  on  the  same  spot,  uttering  occa- 
sionally, instead  of  his  accustomed  haughty  roar, 
a most  sickly  moan. 

“It  was  with  intense  impatience  that  I awaited 
the  break  of  day  to  give  me  correct  information 
respecting  my  night’s  performances.  As  soon  as 
it  was  sufficiently  light  to  hunt  a wounded  lion 
with  safety,  I mustered  all  my  dogs,  and,  accom- 
panied by  all  my  people  possessed  of  guns,  pro- 
ceeded in  search  of  the  enemy.  They  were  soon 
discovered  by  the  dogs  both  together,  trotting  slow- 
ly away.  The  banks  of  the  river  at  this  point  were 
somewhat  elevated ; I sent,  therefore,  most  of  my 
party  along  their  base,  and  chose  the  higher  ground 
myself.  The  dogs  flew  rapidly  past  me  on  the 
scent,  and  I followed  as  quickly  as  my  crippled 
condition  (being  still  lame  from  rheumatism)  would 
permit  me.  One  of  the  lions  was  some  distance 
in  the  rear  of  the  other,  and  I set  the  laggard,  of 
course,  down  for  the  brute  I had  wounded.  Being 
closely  pursued  by  two  of  the  dogs,  he  was  brought 


HORRIBLE  SURPRISE. 


A HORRIBLE  SURPRISE. 


299 


speedily  to  bay.  Now  was  my  time,  and,  stepping 
smartly  out,  I was  soon  within  fifty  paces  of  my 
mark,  when,  stooping  down,  I took  a deliberate  aim 
with  the  elephant  rifle,  and  fired.  The  bullet  pass- 
ed through  both  the  animal’s  shoulders,  and  he  fell, 
managing,  nevertheless,  to  raise  himself  on  his 
haunches,  in  which  position,  growling  hideously,  he 
lashed  alternately  his  sides  and  the  ground  furious- 
ly with  his  tail.  I therefore,  followed  by  Bon  field, 
advanced  farther  toward  him,  and  was  about  to  put 
an  end  to  his  struggles,  when  the  other  lion,  who 
had  stationed  himself  in  the  rear,  in  a thick  bush 
a hundred  yards  or  so  off,  came  bounding  along 
with  a ferocity  of  purpose  in  his  royal  countenance 
such  as  I never  saw  matched  in  one  of  his  species. 
I was  then  in  a kneeling  posture,  in  a perfectly  ex- 
posed situation,  about  twenty  yards  distant  from 
his  wounded  companion.  Charging  past  his  crip- 
pled mate,  this  infuriated  brute  made  directly  at 
me.  It  was  an  awful  moment,  one  that  required 
all  my  self-possession ; but,  having  implicit  confi- 
dence in  my  revolver  rifle,  I did  not  budge  an  inch. 
Leveling  at  the  full,  broad  chest  of  my  assailant,  I 
pulled  the  trigger,  when — imagine  the  horror  and 
consternation  of  the  moment — my  rifle  missed  fire ! 
and  missed  again,  and  again ! His  next  bound  or 
two  would,  it  seemed  inevitable,  bring  me  within 
the  monster’s  gripe ; but,  whether  terror-stricken  at 
my  defiant  attitude,  or  at  the  click  of  my  weapon, 
he  turned  abruptly  off  to  the  right,  and  was  in  a 


300 


THE  PERIL  OF  FEAR. 


few  seconds  back  in  his  former  hiding-place,  the 
bush,  where  he  was  lost  completely  to  view.  While 
retreating,  I once  more  pointed  the  rifle  at  the  fugi- 
tive, equally  in  vain.  To  what  was  I to  attribute 
these  successive  failures  ? I supposed,  at  first,  that 
the  caps  had  become  damp  from  exposure  to  the 
night  air,  but  subsequently  discovered  an  exploded 
cap  between  the  hammer  and  its  passage,  which  had 
prevented  the  former  from  striking  with  full  force 
on  the  nipple.  Bonfield,  who  stood  behind  me  at 
the  critical  moment  I have  described,  raised  his  gun 
to  fire  at  the  lion  the  moment  he  commenced  his 
flight,  but  I stopped  him  at  once ; for,  had  the  beast 
been  merely  wounded  by  the  shot,  he  would,  in  all 
probability,  have  vented  his  fury  upon  my  defense- 
less person. 

uThe  reader  may  well  imagine  that  a thrill  of 
dread  ran  through  me  when  I found  my  weapon 
so  unexpectedly  failing  me.  The  charge  of  the 
lion  was  so  determined,  and  his  eyes  were  fixed  so 
steadily  upon  me,  that  there  could  be  no  doubt 
about  the  purpose  of  the  brute.  My  escape  I at- 
tributed solely  to  the  fact  that  I did  not  move,  but 
kept  my  ground.  Any  attempt  to  flee  the  danger 
would  most  assuredly  have  ended  fatally. 

u Having  put  my  rifle  into  good  working  order 
again,  I went  in  pursuit  of  the  fugitive,  first  put- 
ting a ball  through  the  disabled  animal,  who  was 
still  defending  himself  gallantly  against  a multitude 
of  dogs,  assailing  him  on  all  sides.  I was  now 


a lion’s  lament. 


301 


joined  by  the  rest  of  my  people,  as  well  as  by  a 
crowd  of  Damaras  from  the  wagons,  whp,  on  hear- 
ing the  report  of  the  big  rifle,  hastened  forward  to 
witness  the  fall  of  their  much-dreaded  enemy.  The 
hunted  beast  led  us  through  many  a thick  bush, 
where  we  expected  every  moment  to  catch  a glimpse 
of  him ; but  he  eluded  all  our  efforts  to  come  up 
with  him,  and  fairly,  as  we  found  afterward,  doubled 
on  us,  returning  (such  tenderness  can  dwell  in  lions’ 
bosoms)  to  the  corpse  of  his  now  lifeless  companion. 
Evidently,  however,  not  relishing  the  idea  of  shar- 
ing his  fate,  he  resumed  his  flight,  and  we  were 
never  afterward  able  to  overtake  him.  Seriously 
afflicted  the  royal  brute  must  really  have  been  by 
the  loss  of  his  friend,  for  on  the  following  night  he 
returned  again  to  the  spot,  and  roared  most  sonor- 
ously a loud  lament,  after  which  he  took  his  depart- 
ure, to  return  no  more. 

“On  examining  the  dead  lion,  I was  much  sur- 
prised to  find  that  my  night  shot  had  hit  him  close 
behind  the  left  shoulder ; he  must  have  been  then 
rather  facing  me,  as  the  bullet  had  taken  a diagonal 
direction,  and  had  thus  not  proved  fatal.  The  dis- 
tance between  myself  and  the  lion,  on  receiving 
the  wound,  was,  as  I ascertained  by  stepping  the 
ground,  somewhat  more  than  three  hundred  yards. 
I had  the  skin  of  this  animal  carefully  removed,  and 
intend  to  keep  it  as  a reminiscence  of  one  of  the 
most  extraordinary  incidents  of  my  hunting  expe- 
rience. 


302 


A VILLAGE  DEPOPULATED. 


“I  learned  a few  days  afterward,  from  a party  of 
Damaras  from  the  eastern  side  of  the  Omuramba, 
the  history  of  the  two  lions  who  had  led  me  such 
a chase.  It  would  appear  from  this  account  that 
these  brutes  had  followed  up  the  wagons  of  the  Bev. 
Messrs.  Hahn  and  Hath  from  their  old  quarters, 
Otjituo,  and  that,  on  reaching  a village  of  Damaras, 
where  my  reverend  friends  halted  for  the  night,  one 
of  them  had  carried  off  a native  from  this  werft. 
The  animals  were  then  traced  in  the  direction  of  the 
fountain  where  we  found  them,  and  where  one  of 
them  met  with  his  deserts. 

“The  Damaras  described  these  lions  so  accurate- 
ly that  there  could  not  be  a doubt  about  their  be- 
ing the  same  as  those  who  had  been  long  the  terror 
of  this  district.  The  smaller  of  the  two  was,  they 
assured  us,  the  one  who  provided  for  the  other; 
they  added,  farther,  that  this  daring  monster  has 
been  known  to  attack'  a village,  and  seize  no  less 
than  three  individuals  successively  in  one  night,  re- 
turning in  the  daytime,  with  his  companion,  to  feast 
upon  the  remains  of  the  unfortunate  victims.  If 
any  credit  is  to  be  attached  to  the  report  of  these 
people,  no  fewer  than  one  hundred  human  beings 
had  already  fallen  a prey  to  this  pair  of  formidable 
man-eaters.  Bushmen,  we  were  besides  told,  had 
been  obliged  to  fly  the  country  in  consequence  of 
the  dreadful  ravages  committed  on  their  ranks  by 
these  wild  beasts.  A Bushman  I found  in  this 
locality  when  on  my  journey  northward  fully  cor- 


THE  MAN-SLAYER  SLAIN. 


303 


roborated  this  statement.  On  being  interrogated 
as  to  whether  there  were  any  villages  of  his  coun- 
trymen along  the  Omuramba  to  the  eastward,  he 
replied  at  once  that  they  could  not  live  there,  as  the 
lions  destroyed  so  many  of  them.  The  Damaras, 
indeed,  when  speaking  of  these  formidable  foes,  al- 
ways say,  ‘ Those  two  lions — the  smaller  alone  kill- 
ing the  people — are  known  throughout  this  coun- 
try (pointing  north,  south,  east,  and  west),  and  are 
the  dread  of  all  the  Damaras  and  Bushmen,  who 
will,  like  ourselves,  rejoice  to  hear  that  the  man- 
slayer  is  dead.’ 

“Now  it  was  of  the  smaller  of  the  two  animals 
that  I so  happily  rid  the  country,  and  I consequent- 
ly felt  more  pleased  at  the  deed  than  if  I had  killed 
the  largest  bull  elephant  that  roams  the  wastes  of 
Africa.  I had  by  this  act  conferred  a benefit  on 
my  friends,  the  ‘children  of  the  desert,’  and  had 
doubtless  been  the  means  of  saving  many  from  the 
horrible  fate  that  had  of  late  fallen  to  the  lot  of 
numbers  of  their  friends  and  relatives.  ” 


304 


MORE  LION  ADVENTURES, 


CHAPTER  XXV, 

More  Lion  Adventures. — A Cow  carried  off. — An  Ambush, 
baited  by  a Goat,  laid  for  the  Thief. — A Lion  Hunt.- — Beat- 
ing up  the  Country. — Retreat  of  the  Enemy  in  a Brake. — 
Courage  of  a Dog. — The  Animal  driven  out  of  the  Brake  by 
setting  it  on  fire. — Cowardice  of  most  of  the  Party  in  run- 
ning away  as  soon  as  the  Lion  appears. — The  Lion  attacks 
his  Assailant. — A Shot  takes  no  Effect. — Bodily  Encounter 
with  the  Lion. — He  receives  a Shot  in  the  Shoulder  while 
struggling  with  his  human  Antagonist,  who  escapes. — Is 
precipitated  to  the  Ground  by  an  Accident. — Tussle  with 
the  Lion  while  on  the  Ground. — Terribly  mutilated. — The 
Lion  shot  by  D while  mangling  his  Victim. — The  Nar- 

rator’s Account  confirmed  by  his  runaway  Party. 

As  only  one  of  the  terrible  man-eaters  had  been 
certainly  destroyed,  though  it  is  not  impossible  the 
brute  shot  by  me,  as  already  mentioned  at  Oman- 
bonde,  was  the  second,  we  were  not  without  appre- 
hension that  the  survivor  might  still  be  lingering 
in  the  neighborhood,  in  which  case  he  was  pretty 
sure  to  pay  us  a visit.  At  least  so  we  thought,  and 
in  the  apprehension  we  were  not  altogether  wrong, 
for  at  least  lions  did  ere  long  visit  us ; whether  of 
the  same  species  as  the  one  so  lately  killed  our  ex- 
perience fortunately  did  not  inform  us.  As  there 
was,  however,  a striking  incident  or  two  in  our  en- 
counter with  one  of  these  monarchs  of  the  wilds,  1 
will  briefly  relate  the  adventure  I allude  to. 


A COW  CARRIED  OFF. 


305 


We  had  one  night  encamped  as  usual,  and  had, 
previous  to  retiring  to  rest,  taken  care  to  kraal  our 
beasts  of  burden  and  live-stock — a precaution  omit- 
ted on  that  occasion  by  some  Damaras  possessing 
cattle,  and  journeying  in  our  company  under  our 
protection.  For  this  negligence  they  suffered  ; for, 
on  the  morning  following,  at  break  of  day,  a bril- 
liant moon  still  illuminating  the  sky,  just  as  I had 
risen  and  given  orders  for  a start,  I observed  one 
of  the  dogs  darting  forward  at  full  speed,  and  bark- 
ing in  a most  excited  manner,  while  his  alarmed  and 
startled  movements  indicated  clearly  the  objects  of 
his  fear,  and  I instantly  and  instinctively  called  out, 
“Lions!  lions!1’  And  a lion  sure  enough  there 
was,  within  a hundred  or  two  yards  of  us,  in  full 
view  of  our  wagons  and  bivouac  fires.  The  beast 
was  quietly  devouring  a cow  which  he  had  recently 
slain.  I could  at  first  scarcely  believe  the  fact. 
How  he  could  have  caused  the  death  of  his  victim 
on  a spot  so  perfectly  exposed,  within  gunshot  of 
several  hundred  human  beings,  surrounded  by  some 
dozens  of  curs,  without  attracting  the  slightest  no- 
tice, seemed  to  me  a perfect  mystery.  I mentally 
exclaimed,  “Has  then  man  no  cause  to  fear  such  a 
creature?”  adding  promptly,  “It  will  be  our  turn 
at  you  next  time,  old  fellow,  and  that  when  you 
least  expect  it.”  Nor  was  I disappointed;  for  we 
fell  in  with  him  shortly  afterward  in  the  way  I am 
about  to  relate. 

As  I had  anticipated,  the  lion  just  alluded  to,  or 

U 


306  AN  AMBUSH  BAITED  BY  A GOAT. 

rather  lions — for  there  were  two — followed  us  up, 
and  on  the  second  night  after  our  encounter  played 
us  the  same  trick  as  the  one  above  narrated,  only 
on  this  occasion  the  victim  was  slain  quite  close  to 
our  camp,  though  the  fact,  as  a dense  bush  hid  the 
assailant  from  our  view,  was  less  difficult  than  his 
former  achievement. 

Being  informed  of  this  new  invasion  of  our  folds, 
I said  to  my  friend,  “If  we  do  not  destroy  those 
lions,  they  will  continue  to  plague  us ; and  as  they 
have  not,  it  is  likely,  had  time  to  consume  much  of 
the  carcass  of  their  last  prize,  they  are  sure  to  visit 
the  spot  again  to-night.  Let  us  then  lay  an  ambush 
for  them.11  “Agreed,11  responded  my  friend.  Ac- 
cordingly, a few  bushes  having  been  cut  down,  and 
a sort  of  skarm  constructed,  we  both  ensconced  our- 
selves at  nightfall  therein,  having  first  tied  a goat 
to  a small  bush  within  a few  paces  of  our  place  of 
concealment,  near  the  spot  where  the  cow  had  been 
killed  on  the  previous  night. 

The  moon  had  just  risen,  but  was  hidden  in  pass- 
ing clouds,  while  the  denseness  of  the  surrounding 
bush  threw  a deeper  gloom  over  objects  than  was 
quite  desirable.  For  a while  we  strained  our  eyes 
and  ears  ineffectually  to  catch  a glimpse  or  a sound 
of  the  enemy.  Suddenly  my  friend  bent  toward 
me,  and  whispered  in  my  ear,  pointing  straight  be- 
fore us : “Don’t  you  see  something  moving  there T' 
Now  I rather  pride  myself  on  my  cat-like  sight  in 
the  dark;  but  in  this  instance,  whether  it  really 


A PRECIPITATE  ADVANCE  AND  RETREAT.  307 

failed  me,  or  that  my  eyes  did  not  exactly  follow 
the  direction  indicated,  I saw  nothing;  the  next 
moment,  however,  the  unfortunate  goat  began  to 
struggle  desperately,  and  by  a sort  of  instinct  I in- 
stantly detected  the  presence  of  the  foe,  as  instantly 
— as  if  Green’s  warning  had  only  then  fallen  on  my 
ear — cocking  my  rifle.  My  companion  cocked  his 
almost  simultaneously.  And  it  was  high  time  we 
did  so,  for  a second  had  not  elapsed,  when  out 
sprang  a lion  from  behind  a bush  directly  in  front 
of  us,  and  trotted  briskly  up  to  the  terrified  goat,  of 
whose  fate  neither  of  us  could  entertain  any  doubt, 
though  we  had  determined  that  there  should,  in- 
stead of  one,  be  two  victims  on  this  occasion.  The 
old  adage,  “ There’s  many  a slip  ’twixt  the  cup  and 
the  lip,”  was  nevertheless,  in  this  instance,  rather 
ludicrously  verified ; for  the  brute  had  no  sooner 
opened  his  immense  jaws  to  seize  on  his  intended 
prey  than  he  perceived  us,  and  turned  on  his  heels 
as  quick  as  lightning.  I was,  I confess,  a good  deal 
taken  aback  by  this  sudden  balk,  and  so  I believe 
was  my  friend ; but  our  discomfiture  was  of  short 
duration,  for  the  lion  had  scarcely  retreated  two  or 
three  steps  before  both  our  rifles  were  leveled  at 
him  and  fired.  A growl  followed,  and  then  a cloud 
of  smoke  hid  every  thing  in  darkness,  which  lasted 
long  enough  for  the  brute  to  escape  out  of  sight. 
“Surely,”  I exclaimed,  “we  did  not  both  miss.” 
“I  certainly  did  not  hear  the  clap  of  the  bullet,” 
replied  Green;  “nevertheless,!  think  your  shot 


308 


A DEAD  SHOT. 


took  effect,  and  perhaps  mine  too.”  Had  I not 
had  a long  experience  in  night-shooting,  I should, 
in  all  probability,  have  judged  differently ; but  the 
more  I considered  the  matter,  the  more  I felt  con- 
vinced that  I had  hit  my  mark.  Indeed,  a sports- 
man of  any  experience  knows  almost  to  a certainty 
when  a gun  fits  his  shoulder,  however  hurriedly 
raised,  whether  in  broad  daylight  or  in  darkness. 
On  arriving  at  the  camp  we  asked  the  men  about 
the  fugitive,  but  they  were  no  wiser  than  ourselves. 
We  then  tried,  bull’s-eye  lantern  in  hand,  to  obtain 
a glimpse  of  his  retreating  spoor.  In  vain : the 
hardness  of  the  soil  had  left  no  trace  of  his  flight, 
neither  was  there  any  track  of  blood  to  follow  up ; 
and  as  it  would  have  been  next  to  madness  to  pene- 
trate farther  into  the  bush  with  such  a feeble  light, 
we  reluctantly  abandoned  our  search,  and  threw 
ourselves  on  our  rude  couches  till  the  morning 
light  should  enable  us  to  renew  it  with  better  suc- 
cess. We  were  fully  resolved,  should  he  not  al- 
ready have  received  his  mortal  wound,  to  hunt  our 
foe  to  death.  Thanks  to  our  trusty  rifles,  however, 
we  were  spared  farther  trouble;  for  with  the  re- 
turn of  daylight  the  lion  was  discovered  stone  dead 
within  thirty  paces  of  our  ambuscade.  Both  bul- 
lets had  taken  effect,  mine  traversing  the  entire 
length  of  the  animal’s  body,  penetrating  lungs  and 
heart,  and  burying  itself  deep  in  the  neck,  while 
Green’s  had  hit  the  monster,  though  perhaps  with 
less  deadly  effect,  on  the  rump.  This  lion  was  not 


A LION  HUNT. 


309 


large,  but  in  splendid  condition.  My  friend  courte- 
ously resigned  all  claim  to  the  carcass,  and  its  hide 
now  forms  one  of  the  spolia  opima  of  my  African 
campaigns. 

One  more  story  about  lion-hunting  before  I quit 
the  subject.  This  story  was  related  to  me  by  the 
gentleman  who  is  really,  both  as  actor  and  sufferer, 
its  hero,  and  who  exhibited,  in  circumstances  most 
perilous,  a presence  of  mind  and  determination  of 
which,  on  a similar  occasion,  I only  know  one  other 
example.  The  narrative  may  then  be  relied  upon 
as  strictly  true;  I have  heard*  it,  word  for  word, 
from  several  of  the  actors  in,  or  rather  the  specta- 
tors of  the  facts  related,  for  such  only,  to  their 
shame,  as  the  reader  will  presently  see,  they  were 
contented  to  remain,  while  their  comrade  was  on 
the  point  of  being  torn  to  pieces  before  their  eyes 
by  an  enraged  lion. 

“In  the  year  185 — said  the  narrator,  “while 
staying  with  some  Europeans  and  Namaquas  in  the 
interior  of  the  country,  several  lions  made  their  ap- 
pearance on  a certain  night,  and  killed  and  carried 
off  an  ox.  We  thereupon,  on  the  following  morn- 
ing, determined  to  get  up  a hunt  in  search  of  the 
marauders.  Accordingly,  mounted  on  such  horses 
and  carriage-oxen  as  we  could  muster,  we  were  soon 
in  hot  pursuit  of  the  delinquents.  Having  follow- 
ed their  track  for  a short  time,  we  reached  the  spot 
where  the  ox  had  been  killed,  a remnant  of  the  car- 
cass still  remaining  as  a last  meal.  Continuing  on 


310 


LIONS  IN  COYER. 


the  spoor,  we  came,  in  about  half  an  hour’s  time, 
upon  the  enemy,  five  in  number.  They  were  hid- 
den, or  rather  sheltered  in  a dense  reedy  thicket. 
To  this  we  immediately  set  fire,  while  men  were 
placed  round  about  in  all  directions,  so  as  to  com- 
mand every  outlet.  For  a long  time  the  fire 
crackled  and  hissed  to  no  purpose ; at  length  the 
brake  got  too  hot  for  its  inmates,  and  out  they 
dashed,  one  of  them  passing  close  to  the  spot  where, 
followed  by  a solitary  dog — the  only  one  out  of 
about  forty  that  we  could  induce  to  follow  us — I 
had  taken  up  my*  post.  Finding  himself  hotly 
pressed,  and  with  no  suitable  shelter  before  him, 
the  brute  soon  tacked  about,  retreating  back  to  his 
original  cover.  Before,  however,  he  could  reach  it, 
I fired,  and  apparently  with  effect.  Yet  he  was 
shortly  afterward  again  seen  escaping,  and  so  suc- 
cessfully this  time  as  to  take  refuge  in  a small  patch 
of  green  reeds ; out  of  this  new  strong-hold  it  was 
now  my  object  to  expel  him,  but  my  efforts  to  ef- 
fect this  proved  at  first  quite  unavailing.  Once,  in- 
deed, he  showed  himself  for  a moment  in  a pursuit 
of  the  dog,  who  had  followed  him  into  the  reeds. 
But,  alas ! my  canine  follower’s  bravery  on  this  oc- 
casion had  nearly  proved  fatal  to  him,  for  he  re- 
ceived the  contents  of  one  of  our  guns,  and  was  too 
badly  wounded  to  escape  from  the  thicket.  I was 
determined,  however,  to  extricate  him  at  all  hazards 
from  his  perilous  situation.  Accordingly,  having, 
after  much  persuasion,  succeeded  in  inducing  my 


THE  COYER  IN  ELAMES. 


311 


companions  to  range  themselves  within  a short  dis- 
tance of  the  cover,  aiid  having  handed  my  piece  to 
a by-stander,  I darted  into  the  copse,  where,  spy- 
ing my  poor  dog,  I immediately  caught  him  up  in 
my  arms,  and  the  next  moment  found  myself  and 
my  burden  in  safety.  I could  not  possibly  have 
been  above  a couple  of  paces  from  the  lion  when  I 
picked  up  my  dog,  as  I am  confident  the  whole  ex- 
tent of  the  reedy  patch  was  not  above  thirty  feet 
square ; I did  not,  nevertheless,  in  consequence  of 
the  denseness  of  the  bush,  see  the  brute.  I only 
heard  his  growl. 

“Having  placed  my  quadruped  companion  in 
safety,  we  now  ranged  ourselves  within  pistol-shot 
of  the  reeds,  taking  care  to  have  a clear  view  all 
around  us ; we  then  rent  the  air  with  deafening 
shouts,  and  pierced  the  brake  with  numerous  bul- 
lets. All  in  vain;  the  animal  remained  motion- 
less. The  fire  which  we  had  originally  lighted  was 
now,  however,  quickly  approaching  the  spot  on 
which  all  eyes  were  fixed,  and  we  hoped  that  it 
might  effect  what  we  had  been  unable  to  accom- 
plish, when,  to  our  great  vexation  and  disappoint- 
ment, a slight  veering  of  the  wind  drove  the  flames 
in  another  direction.  "We  should  now  have  been 
fairly  baffled  if  the  ingenuity  of  a Berg  Damara 
had  not  come  to  our  aid.  Collecting  a quantity 
of  dry  reeds,  with  other  inflammable  matter,  and 
setting  fire  to  the  same,  this  intelligent  native  seized 
the  fagots  at  one  end,  and,  running  at  the  top  of  his 


312 


A PANIC. 


speed,  hurled  the  whole  lighted  mass  into  the  very 
centre  of  the  lion’s  hiding-place.  The  effect  was 
almost  instantaneous,  for  in  a very  few  minutes  aft- 
erward we  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  enemy 
dash  through  the  flames.  It  had  been  previously 
agreed  on  that,  upon  his  first  appearance,  those  who 
possessed  double-barreled  guns  should  fire  only  one 
barrel,  reserving  the  other  for  the  charge,  should  he 
turn  upon  us.  The  mere  sight,  however,  of  the 
lion  seems  to  have  so  frightened  several  of  our  par- 
ty that  their  barrels  were  indiscriminately  fired  in 
every  direction,  and  some  even  blazed  away  in  the 
empty  air. 

u On  receiving  our  fire  the  animal  made  straight 
for  us,  on  which  every  one,  with  the  exception  of 
Mr.  S and  myself,  took  to  his  heels.  The  for- 

mer gentleman,  who  had  never  seen  a lion  in  its 
wild  state,  became  so  terrified  that  he  was  unable 
either  to  fire  or  to  attempt  to  make  his  escape.  He 
remained  fixed  and  motionless  on  the  spot,  like  one 
entranced.  I had  by  this  time  taken  a few  steps 
backward,  yet  without  ever  averting  my  eyes  from 
our  foe,  who,  having  approached  to  within  a few 

paces  of  S , prepared  himself  to  make  the  fatal 

spring.  I had  already  fired  when  he  burst  out  of 
his  cover ; but  one  barrel  still  remained  to  me,  and, 
seeing  my  friend’s  imminent  danger,  I no  longer 
hesitated.  Clapping  the  gun  to  my  shoulder,  I 
took  a steady  aim  at  the  side  of  his  head ; unfor- 
tunately, just  as  I pulled  the  trigger,  he  made  a 


A FRIGHTFUL  ACCIDENT. 


313 


slight  movement,  and  the  consequence  was  that, 
instead  of  smashing  his  skull,  the  bullet  merely 
grazed  it,  passing  in  the  same  manner  all  along  the 
left  side  of  his  body.  Quick  as  thought,  the  en- 
raged animal  left  his  first  intended  victim,  and 
turned  with  a ferocious  growl  upon  me.  To  escape 
was  impossible ; I thrust,  therefore,  no  other  re- 
source being  left  me,  the  muzzle  of  my  gun  into  the 
extended  jaws  opened  to  devour  me.  In  a moment 
the  weapon  was  demolished.  My  fate  seemed  in- 
evitable, when,  just  at  this  critical  juncture,  I was 

unexpectedly  rescued.  D fired,  and  broke  the 

lion’s  shoulder.  He  fell,  and,  taking  advantage  of 
this  lucky  incident,  I scampered  away  at  full  speed. 
But  my  assailant  had  not  yet  done  with  me.  De- 
spite his  crippled  condition,  he  soon  overtook  me. 
At  that  moment  I was  looking  over  my  shoulder, 
when,  unhappily,  a creeper  caught  my  foot,  and  I 
was  precipitated  headlong  to  the  ground.  In  an- 
other instant  the  lion  had  transfixed  my  right  foot 
with  his  murderous  fangs.  Finding,  however,  my 
4 left  foot  disengaged,  I gave  the  brute  a severe  kick 
on  the  head,  which  compelled  him  for  a few  seconds 
to  suspend  his  attack.  He  next  seized  my  left  leg, 
on  which  I repeated  the  former  dose  on  his  head 
with  my  right  foot ; he  once  more,  thereupon,  let 
go  his  hold,  but  seized  my  right  foot  for  a second 
time.  Shortly  afterward  he  dropped  the  foot  and 
grasped  my  right  thigh,  gradually  working  his  way 
up  to  my  hip,  where  he  endeavored  to  plant  his 


314  DEATH-GRAPPLE  WITH  A LION. 

claws.  In  this  he  partially  succeeded,  tearing,  in 
the  attempt,  my  trowsers  and  body-linen,  and  graz- 
ing the  skin  of  my  body.  Knowing  that  if  he  got 
a firm  hold  of  me  here  it  would  surely  cost  me  my 
life,  I quickly  seized  him  by  his  two  ears,  and,  with 
a desperate  effort,  managed  to  roll  him  over  on  his 
side,  which  gave  me  a moment’s  respite.  He  next 
laid  hold  of  my  left  hand,  which  he  bit  through 
and  through,  smashing  the  wrist,  and  tearing  my 
right  hand  seriously.  I was  now  totally  helpless, 
and  must  inevitably  have  fallen  a speedy  victim  to 
his  fury  had  not  prompt  assistance  been  at  hand. 
In  my  prostrate  position  I observed,  and  a gleam 
of  hope  sprung  up,  D advancing  quickly  to- 

ward me.  The  lion  saw  him  too,  and,  with  one  of 
his  paws  on  my  wounded  thigh,  throwing  his  ears 
well  back,  he  couched,  ready  to  spring  at  his  new 

assailant.  Now,  if  D had  fired,  in  my  present 

position  I should  have  run  great  risk  of  being  hit 
by  the  bullet ; I hallooed  out  to  him,  therefore,  to 
wait  until  I could  veer  my  head  a little.  In  time 
I succeeded,  and  the  next  instant  I heard  the  click 
of  a gun,  but  no  report.  Another  moment,  and  a 
well-directed  ball,  taking  effect  in  his  forehead,  laid 
the  lion  a corpse  alongside  my  own  bruised  and 
mutilated  body.  Quick  as  lightning,  I now  sprang 
to  my  feet,  and  darted  forward  toward  my  compan- 
ions, whom  I saw  at  no  great  distance.  Once  or 
twice  I felt  excessively  faint,  but  managed,  never- 
theless, to  keep  my  head  up. 


V 


DEATH-GRAPPLE  WITH  A LION. 


MUTILATION  AND  RESCUE. 


317 


u No  sooner  had  D so  successfully  finished 

the  lion  than  he  mounted  a horse  hard  by,  and  gal- 
loped off  in  the  direction  of  our  camp.  In  the 
mean  time  I was  lifted  on  to  a tame  ox,  which  was 
led  by  a man  preceding  us.  At  about  half  way  to 

our  camp  D and  B came  to  meet  me, 

bringing  with  them,  to  refresh  me,  some  water  and 
a bottle  of  eau  de  Cologne.  A drinking-cup  we 
had  not,  but  the  crown  of  a wide-awake  hat  was  a 
good  substitute  for  one,  and  I drank  the  mixture 
of  the  two  liquids  greedily  off.  A few  minutes  aft- 
erward we  were  met  by  some  of  the  servants  carry- 
ing a door.  Exchanging  then  my  ox  for  this  more 
commodious  conveyance,  I was  carefully  borne  into 
camp.  , Up  to  this  time  I had  retained  perfect  self- 
possession,  but  the  moment  my  wounds  were  wash- 
ed and  dressed  I swooned,  and  for  three  entire  weeks 
remained  in  a state  of  complete  unconsciousness. 
I have  since  perfectly  recovered  my  health,  but,  as 
you  see,  I am  totally  crippled  in  my  left  arm. 

“I  must  not  omit  to  mention  that  my  brave  dog, 
although  shot  through  one  of  his  fore  legs,  on  see- 
ing the  lion  rush  upon  me,  came  forward  at  the  best 
of  his  speed,  and,  in  his  turn,  sprang  upon  my 
grim  assailant,  and  clung  desperately  to  him  until 
D ’s  bullet  put  an  end  to  the  combat.” 


318 


INTRODUCTION. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Introduction.  — Saldanha  Bay.  — St.  Helen’s  Bay. — The  Berg 
River. — Lambert’s  Cove. — Cape  Donkin  and  Donkin’s  Bay. 
— The  Oliphant  River. — Mitchell’s  Bay. — Hondeklipp  Bay. 
— The  Koussie  River. — Cape  Yoltas.— Homewood  and  Pea- 
cock Harbors. — Alexander  Bay. — The  Orange  River : De- 
scription, Scenery,  precious  Stones ; central  Course  unknown. 
— Boundary  of  British  Dominions. — Angras  Juntas. — Pos- 
session Island. — Elizabeth  Bay. — Angra  Pequena. — Pedes- 
tal Point. — Robert  Harbor. — Ichaboe. — Hottentot  Bay. — 
Rae’s  Bay.  — Spencer’s  Bay.  — Mercury  Island.  — Hollam’s 
Bird  Isle. — Sandwich  Harbor. 

As  the  present  work  professes,  cursorily  at  least, 
to  treat  geographical  subjects,  it  may  be  proper  for 
me  briefly  to  describe  the  west  coast  of  Southern 
Africa,  i.  6.,  that  part  of  it  extending  from  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope  to  Benguela — a country  with  which 
I myself  am  somewhat  acquainted,  inasmuch  as  I 
have  often  visited  and  examined  its  rivers,  bays, 
harbors,  islands,  etc.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind, 
however,  that  the  greater  part  of  this  coast  is  still 
but  imperfectly  known  and  surveyed,  and  that,  n<?t 
having  the  means  of  delineating  it  with  the  accu- 
racy and  detail  that  would  be  desirable,  I must  con- 
tent myself  with  laying  before  my  readers  such  in- 
formation about  it  as  I myself  have  been  able  per- 
sonally to  acquire  and  collect. 


AUTHORITIES  CONSULTED. 


319 


The  authorities  I have  chiefly  consulted  are  Cap- 
tain Owen,  R.N. ; Bennet;  Findlay;  Captain Mes- 
sum ; and  Captain  Morrell,  of  the  United  States, 
who  some  years  ago  published  a book  descriptive 
of  various  sealing  voyages  along  the  coast  of  Africa 
and  elsewhere. 

I must  premise  that,  in  quoting  from  this  last- 
named  explorer,  I have  been  much  on  my  guard ; 
for,  though  on  many  points,  more  especially  such 
as  relate  to  charts  of  the  coast,  he  is  very  accurate, 
yet  on  others — and  this  remark  particularly  applies 
to  his  descriptions  of  inland  localities,  scenery,  and 
the  like — he  is  a somewhat  unsafe  guide ; so  much 
so  that,  had  I not  been  intimately  acquainted  with 
the  countries  of  which  he  speaks,  I might  have  been 
led  into  very  serious  errors. 

In  Captain  Messum,  on  the  other  hand,  to  whom 
I am  chiefly  indebted  for  the  information  I possess 
respecting  that  portion  of  the  west  coasts  lying  be- 
tween, Walwich  Bay  and  Benguela  (a  part  of  some 
importance  and  very  little  known),  I place  every 
confidence.  Captain  Messum  was  for  many  years 
occupied  in  exploring  this  coast  for  guano  and  other 
valuable  products,  during  which  time  he  surveyed 
the  whole  marine  tract,  from  Table  Bay  to  the  Por- 
tuguese settlements,  and  has,  besides  affording  me 
much  verbal  and  written  information,  kindly  placed 
at  my  disposal  a chart  of  all  his  explorations  from 
Walwich  Bay  to  the  Cape.  Unfortunately,  how- 
ever, time  and  circumstances  prevented  the  comple- 


320 


SALDANHA  BAT. 


tion  of  this  chart.  I have,  therefore,  not  thought 
it  advisable  to  introduce  it  in  a separate  form,  but 
have  merely  added  it  to  my  own  map.  (See  “Lake 
Ngami.’’) 

Sailing  northward  from  Table  Bay,  at  about  sev- 
enty miles  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  the  first 
commodious,  indeed,  the  only  safe  port  within  the 
boundary  of  the  colony  on  this  side  is  Saldanha 
Bay.  This  bay,  nearly  three  miles  broad  (between 
33°  3;  and  33°  6'  S.  lat.),  runs  through  a ridge  of 
granite  which  extends  north  and  south  throughout 
its  whole  length — that  is,  about  fifteen  miles.  It 
affords  excellent  anchorage  to  ships  of  every  size, 
and  may  be  safely  entered  with  all  winds  and  at  all 
seasons  of  the  year. 

“On  entering, ” says  Morrell,  “this  well-protect- 
ed harbor,  attention  should  be  paid  to  the  following 
circumstances  and  localities : On  the  north  of  its 
entrance  is  a small  island  called  c Mallagassen and 
on  the  south,  in  a bend  of  the  land,  near  the  shore, 
is  another  named  Jutten.  Two  miles  eastward  of 
the  first-mentioned  island  is  a third,  called  Marcus. 
Each  of  these  islands  has  a reef,  which  juts  off  from 
its  shore  about  a cable’s  length ; and  as  all  three 
of  them  are  low,  and  can  be  seen  but  at  a short  dis- 
tance, accuracy  in  the  vessel’s  latitude  is  very  requi- 
site. The  widest  passage,  and  the  best  for  stran- 
gers, is  on  the  south  of  the  Marcus  island,  which 
may  be  passed  within  forty  fathoms.” 

The  northern  portion  of  Saldanha,  called  Hoetjes 


i 


GAME  AND  FISH  IN  ABUNDANCE. 


321 


Bay,  has  no  fresh  water,  which  may  be  obtained, 
however,  at  no  very  great  distance,  and  in  any  quan- 
tity. Besides,  in  the  year  1841,  a spring  was  dis- 
covered on  a small  island  named  the  Schaapen, 
which,  having  been  cleansed,  yielded,  according  to 
Findlay,  no  less  than  ten  gallons  a minute,  or 
144,000  gallons  in  twenty-four  hours. 

Several  farmers  reside  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Saldanha  Bay,  from  whom  fruits,  vegetables,  and 
refreshments  of  various  kinds  may  be  obtained  on 
short  notice  and  at  moderate  prices.  Game,  such 
as  small  antelopes,  hares,  partridges,  etc.,  are  found 
in  great  numbers  in  the  vicinity.  The  bay  itself, 
moreover,  abounds  in  numerous  varieties  of  fish,  of 
which  many  have  an  excellent  flavor.  At  certain 
seasons  the  Boers  resort  to  this  place  with  their 
nets  for  the  purpose  of  catching  and  curing  large 
draughts  of  the  finny  tribe,  which  they  either  con- 
sume themselves  or  sell  to  inland  neighbors.  For 
ships  that  require  refreshments  few  places  offer  bet- 
ter accommodations  than  Saldanha  Bay. 

From  this  bay  northward  the  coast  is  rugged, 
and  beset  with  rocks  stretching  a good  way  from 
the  shore,  which  makes  the  navigation  both  intri- 
cate and  dangerous.  The  next  place  of  importance 
is  St.  Helena  Bay,  formed  by  Point  St.  Martin 
(which  projects  from  the  coast  in  a N.W.  direction) 
on  the  south,  and  Cape  Deseada  on  the  north,  the 
distance  between  the  two  being  nine  leagues.  The 
bay  itself  is  about  four  leagues  deep,  running  E.  and 

X 


322  ST.  HELENA  BAY. — THE  BERG  RIVER. 

S.E.  toward  the  head  of  the  harbor,  or  south  shore. 
The  soundings,  from  twenty  to  four  fathoms,  are 
very  regular. 

St.  Helena  Bay  is  by  far  the  largest  indentation 
in  this  part  of  the  coast,  but,  though  well  sheltered 
from  S.E.  winds,  is  quite  open  to  the  N.W.  Nev- 
ertheless, from  the  great  depth  of  the  water,  the 
wind  seldom  reaches  the  interior  of  the  port  with 
sufficient  force  to  injure  a vessel  at  any  season  of 
the  year.  It  is  high  water  here  at  2h‘  3CT  P.  M. 

At  the  opening  of  the  bay  stands  a huge  rock, 
called  the  Britannia,  and  in  the  bay  itself  the  Pa- 
ternosters. The  country  in  the  background  is  rath- 
er mountainous ; the  Piquet  Berg  is  indeed  very 
conspicuous  from  its  height.  From  this  mountain 
a river  discharges  itself  into  St.  Helena  Bay,  but, 
like  all  other  water-sheds  in  this  neighborhood,  its 
entrance  is  crossed  by  a bar,  which  is  constantly 
shifting.  Once  within  this  barrier,  however,  the 
stream,  which  takes  its  rise  in  the  mountains  that 
inclose  the  vale  of  Drakenstein,  is  navigable  by 
small  craft  for  from  about  fifteen  to  twenty  miles. 
Its  water  is  very  pure  and  wholesome,  and  more 
than  one  vessel  used,  in  former  times,  to  stop  here 
to  replenish  their  empty  butts.  Casks  may  be  float- 
ed about  five  miles  up  with  the  flood,  and  then  filled 
and  floated  back  to  the  ship  with  very  little  trouble. 

Hippopotami  are  said  to  have  once  abounded 
(one  or  two  still  exist  there)  in  the  BergBiver.  The 
Dutch  government,  in  order  to  preserve  this  animal 


Lambert's  cove. — oliphant  river.  323 

in  the  colony,  imposed  a fine  of  a thousand  guilders 
on  any  person  that  should  put  one  of  them  to  death. 

From  St.  Helena  Bay  the  coast  is  open  and  al- 
most free  from  danger.  Pursuing  a N.  N.  W.  course 
from  Cape  Deseada,  which  is  a low,  sandy  beach  in 
front  of  bluff  sand-hills,  one  comes  next  upon  Lam- 
bert’s Cove.  The  entrance  to  this  little  shelter,  for 
about  a mile,  is  from  the  N.  to  the  S.S.E.  Small 
vessels  can  anchor  here  in  perfect  safety  in  three 
fathoms’  water.  Many  loads  of  grain  are  annually 
embarked  at  this  place  for  the  Cape  market. 

Hence,  and  steering  about  the  same  course,  Cape 
Donkin  is  reached  in  lat.  31°  54'  S.  This  cape  is 
the  south  point  of  a small  bay  of  the  same  name, 
within  which  vessels  may  find  partial  anchorage, 
with  a sandy  bottom,  in  from  ten  to  six  fathoms 
of  water. 

About  four  leagues  to  the  northward  of  Donkin’s 
Bay  is  the  Oliphant  (or  Elephant)  Biver,  which  de- 
bouches in  the  Atlantic  in  lat.  31°  38'  S.  Except 
in  summer,  the  anchorage  here  is  dangerous ; and, 
if  I am  not  mistaken,  more  than  one  wreck  has  oc- 
curred on  this  spot.  The  entrance  to  the  bay  is 
blocked  up  by  a bar  of  sand  with  only  about  two 
feet  of  water  on  it,  and,  as  a westerly  swell  is  con- 
stantly “ heaving  in”  on  the  coast,  there  are  gener- 
ally heavy  breakers  on  the  bar.  Like  the  Berg 
River,  however,  once  within,  there  is  plenty  of  wa- 
ter, and  the  stream  is  navigable  for  a short  distance. 
“This  river,”  says  Morrell,  “enters  from  the  south, 


324 


MITCHELLS  BAY. HONDEKLIPP  BAY. 


running  N.  N.  W.  for  about  two  miles,  when  it  turns 
to  the  E.  and  E.S.E.,  carrying  a strong  current  of 
water  for  a long  distance  inland.  If  there  could  be 
a passage  cut  through  the  bar  at  the  mouth  of  this 
river,  it  would  be  the  finest  harbor  on  the  west 
coast  of  Africa.1’ 

Fish  is  found  plentifully  in  the  Oliphant  Fiver ; 
and  at  no  very  remote  period  huge  elephants,  as 
may  be  inferred  from  the  name,  frequented  its  sandy 
banks. 

Farther  north,  and  near  the  mouth  of  the  Spoek 
Fiver,  is  Foodenall,  or  Mitchell’s  Bay,  a small  cove 
surrounded  by  cliffs  of  red  sandstone,  affording  fair 
anchorage  for  small  craft. 

Near  the  mouth  of  the  Zwarte  Lintjie  Fiver  lies 
Hondeklipp  Bay,  which  is  only  accessible  to  schoon- 
ers and  other  small  craft — vessels  employed  chiefly 
in  carrying  to  the  Cape  the  copper  ore  brought 
down  from  the  interior.  This  bay,  which  is  very 
unsafe,  has  been  the  scene  of  several  wrecks  with- 
in a very  few  years.  From  its  proximity  to  the 
copper-mines,  it  has,  however,  much  commercial  im- 
portance. 

The  Koussie  or  Kowsie,  not  long  ago  the  bound- 
ary of  the  colony,  enters  the  sea  at  about  lat.  29° 
407  S.  The  water  of  this  river  is,  for  a distance 
of  ten  to  fifteen  miles  inland,  perfectly  salt ; and, 
though  its  channel  is  accessible  to  boats,  it  fre- 
quently happens  that  its  mouth  is  closed  up  by  a 
bar  of  sand. 


HOMEWOOD  AND  PEACOCK  HARBORS.  325 

Cape  Yoltas  of  the  Portuguese,  a high  bluff  point 
projecting  into  the  sea,  with  several  outlying  rocks 
to  the  west  of  it,  next  arrests  attention.  From 
Point  St.  Martin  to  this  cape  the  coast  is  open, 
and  almost  free  from  clanger  to  within  half  a mile 
of  the  land. 

South  of  Cape  Voltas,  anchorage,  though  much 
exposed,  is  to  be  found  in  a small  bay  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. Immediately  to  the  north,  again,  we  have 
Homewood  and  Peacock  Harbors,  and  Alexander 
Bay;  all,  however,  small,  open,  and  affording  but 
very  indifferent  anchorage.  I once  nearly  suffered 
shipwreck  in  the  last-named  bay,  which,  notwith- 
standing its  present  deficiencies,  may,  from  its  prox- 
imity to  the  Ovambo  Biver,  and  the  lately  discover- 
ed copper-mines  in  the  vicinity,  become  some  day  a 
place  of  considerable  importance.  It  would  neither 
be  very  troublesome  nor  very  expensive  to  make  it 
a safe  and  commodious  haven. 

Between  Cape  Yoltas  and  the  Orange  Biver  the 
coast  is  strewn  with  immense  quantities  of  drift- 
wood, carried  down  by  that  stream  to  the  sea,  and 
thrown  back  on  the  beach  by  the  waves  of  the  At- 
lantic. The  land  is  very  low,  sandy,  barren,  and 
desolate,  characteristics  it  retains  a long  way  in- 
land. It  afterward  swells  into  gentle  undulations, 
and  at  last  rises  into  lofty  hills,  which  stand  out  in 
bold  relief  on  each  side  of  the  river. 

We  now  come  to  one  of  the  most  important,  as 
well  as  one  of  the  most  interesting  objects  on  the 


326 


THE  ORANGE  RIVER. 


map  of  South  Africa,  the  Orange  River,  or  the 
Garip,  as  it  is  called  by  the  natives.  Traversing 
the  great  continent  from  east  to  west,  divided  in  its 
upper  course  into  three  considerable  branches — the 
Nu,  Ky,  and  Maap  (the  black,  yellow,  and  muddy) 
— the  waters  of  this  river,  rolling  down  from  a lofty 
mountain  range  to  the  ocean,  intersect  a distance  of 
upward  of  one  thousand,  while  they  drain  a basin 
of  no  less  than  one  hundred  thousand  square  miles. 
Unfortunately,  however,  like  nearly  every  other 
river  on  the  coast,  its  mouth  is  blocked  up  almost 
totally  by  a bar  of  sand,  against  which  the  waves  of 
the  Atlantic  beat  with  great  violence.  Its  entrance 
has  even  more  than  once,  within  the  memory  of  the 
present  generation,  been  closed  up  entirely,  whereby 
a sudden  inundation,  overflooding  the  country,  has 
given  it  the  appearance  of  a vast  lake.  Near  its 
embouchure  this  river  expands  to  a breadth  of 
about  four  miles,  and  is  dotted  over  with  numerous 
reedy  isles. 

Of  the  Orange  River  that  portion  alone  is  navi- 
gable which  very  nearly  adjoins  the  sea,  and  then 
only  for  small  craft,  and  at  certain  periods  of  the 
year ; in  the  dry  season  shoals  and  sand-banks  are 
every  where  visible  in  its  channel.  Even  higher 
up  the  navigation  is  frequently  impeded  by  rapids 
and  waterfalls,  some  of  which  are  very  grand  and 
beautiful. 

Mr.  Thompson,  the  South  African  traveler,  has 
thus  described  the  impression  a first  view  of  one  of 
these  cataracts  made  on  him : 


A MAGNIFICENT  CATARACT. 


327 


“At  length  we  halted,  and  the  next  moment  I 
was  led  to  a projecting  rock,  where  a scene  burst 
upon  me  far  surpassing  my  most  sanguine  expecta- 
tions. The  whole  water  of  the  river  (except  what 
escapes  by  the  subsidiary  channel  we  had  crossed, 
and  by  a similar  one  on  the  north  side),  being  pre- 
viously confined  to  a bed  of  scarcely  one  hundred 
feet  in  breadth,  descends  at  once  in  this  place  in  a 
magnificent  cascade  of  fully  four  hundred  feet  in 
height.  I stood  upon  a cliff  nearly  level  with  the 
top  of  the  fall,  and  directly  in  front  of  it.  The 
beams  of  the  evening  sun  fell  full  upon  the  cascade, 
and  occasioned  a most  splendid  rainbow ; while  the 
vapory  spray  arising  from  the  broken  waters,  the 
bright  green  woods  which  hung,  as  it  were,  from 
the  surrounding  peaks,  the  astounding  roar  of  the 
waterfall,  and  the  tumultuous  boiling  and  hissing 
of  the  headlong  flood,  rending  and  crushing  its  way 
through  precipitous  cliffs,  then  striving  with  agony 
to  escape  along  its  deep,  dark,  and  narrow  cavities, 
formed  altogether  a combination  of  beauty  and 
grandeur  such  as  I have  never  before  witnessed. 
As  I gazed  on  this  stupendous  spectacle,  the  fol- 
lowing splendid  lines  from  Childe  Harold  burst 
spontaneously  from  my  lips : 

“ 4 The  roar  of  waters ! from  the  headlong  height 
Yelino  cleaves  the  wave- worn  precipice; 

The  fall  of  waters  ! rapid  as  the  light 
The  flashing  mass  foams  shaking  the  abyss ; 

The  hell  of  waters  ! where  they  howl  and  hiss, 


328 


THE  ORANGE  RIVER. 


And  boil  in  endless  torture ; while  the  sweat 
Of  their  great  agony,  wrung  out  from  this 
Their  Phlegethon,  curls  round  the  rocks  of  jet 
That  gird  the  gulf  around,  in  pitiless  horror  set, 

“ 4 And  mounts  in  spray  the  skies,  and  thence  again 
Returns  in  an  unceasing  shower,  which  round, 

With  its  unemptied  cloud  of  gentle  rain, 

Is  an  eternal  April  to  the  ground, 

Making  it  all  one  emerald : how  profound 
The  gulf!  and  how  the  giant  element 
From  rock  to  rock  leaps  with  delirious  bound, 

Crushing  the  cliffs,  which,  downward  worn  and  rent 
With  his  fierce  footsteps,  yield  in  chasms  a fearful  vent.’  ” 

Notwithstanding  the  barren  and  arid  nature  of 
the  ground  about  the  lower  course  of  the  Orange 
River,  it  is  an  exceedingly  fine  stream,  and  becomes 
more  and  more  so  as  one  ascends  its  current  to  the 
eastward.  “The  Orange  River  here,”  says  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Mofifat,  “presents  the  appearance  of  a 
plain,  miles  in  breadth,  entirely  covered,  as  it  were, 
with  mimosa-trees,  among  which  the  many  branches 
of  the  river  run,  and  then  tumble  over  the  preci- 
pices, raising  clouds  of  mist  when  there  is  any 
volume  of  water.”  Again:  “All  those  who  have 
had  the  good  fortune  to  see  the  Garip,”  writes  Sir 
James  Alexander,  “agree  in  praising  its  beauty — 
its  broad  stream  at  one  time  rushing  tumultuously 
over  a rocky  and  shelving  bed,  now  spreading  out 
into  a translucent  lake,  then  hurrying  over  a rock 
four  hundred  feet  high,  thus  forming  a grand  cata- 
ract, which  sweeps  in  its  course  round  numerous 


THE  ORANGE  RIVER. 


329 


islands,  some  of  them  inhabited  by  banditti,  and 
others  by  hippopotami.1’ 

The  banks  of  this  mighty  stream  are  indeed  every 
where  clothed  with  a broad  belt  of  thorn  and  mi- 
mosas, with  willow  and  a species  of  rhus  and  ebony, 
and  are  quite  alive  with  the  notes  of  birds ; while 
the  strangely  wild  and  fantastic-shaped  hills,  which 
so  frequently  involve  the  river  in  their  embraces, 
form  one  of  the  most  picturesque  and  exciting 
scenes  it  is  possible  to  conceive. 

Even  Burchell  appears  to  have  been  in  raptures 
with  the  Orange  River:  “The  first  view  to  which 
I happened  to  turn  myself  in  looking  at  the 
stream,”  says  that  distinguished  traveler,  “realized 
those  ideas  of  elegant  and  classic  scenery,  at  once 
fantastic  and  romantic,  which  are  created  in  the 
minds  of  poets.  The  waters  of  the  majestic  river, 
flowing  in  a broad  expanse  resembling  a smooth 
translucent  lake,  seemed  with  their  gentle  waves 
to  kiss  the  shore  and  bid  it  farewell  forever,  as  they 
glided  past  in  their  way  to  the  restless  ocean,  bear- 
ing on  their  limpid  bosom  the  image  of  their  wood- 
clothed  banks,  while  the  drooping  willows  leaned 
over  the  tide,  as  if  unwilling  to  lose  it,  and  the  long 
pendent  branches,  dipping  their  leafy  twigs  in  the 
stream,  seemed  fain  to  follow.” 

Almost  from  our  earliest  acquaintance  with  this 
river  rumors  were  rife,  and  they  still  prevail,  of  the 
existence  of  precious  stones  in  its  bed,  but  I believe 
there  is  no  well-attested  instances  of  any  having 


330  BOUNDARY  OF  OUR  COLONY  ON  THE  WEST. 

been  found  there.  It  abounds,  it  is  true,  in  opals, 
agates,  carndlians,  etc.,  of  every  hue  and  form,  but, 
though  often  very  beautifully  variegated,  these  cu- 
rious pebbles  are  coarse  and  imperfect.  Cart-loads 
of  them  might  be  collected  in  some  parts  of  the 
river  in  a very  few  hours. 

In  its  lower  course  the  banks  of  the  Orange 
River  consist  of  sand,  clay,  and  mica,  intermixed 
with  very  considerable  portions  of  oxide  of  iron ; 
the  latter,  in  a particular  form,  has  been  mistaken 
for  pulverized  rubies  ! 

Until  quite  lately  our  knowledge  of  the  central 
course  of  this  stream  was  very  scanty.  Mr.  Moffat, 
son  of  the  worthy  and  well-known  missionary  of 
that  name,  has,  however,  very  recently  followed  its 
course  from  its  junction  with  the  Vaal  to  the  sea, 
and,  I am  informed,  sketched  a very  interesting  and 
instructive  chart  of  his  explorations. 

During  the  guano  fever  (of  which  more  anon), 
the  British  government  at  the  Cape,  in  order  to 
secure  to  themselves  the  right  of  granting  licenses 
to  the  crowds  of  adventurers  that  flocked  to  this 
coast  in  search  of  guano,  endeavored  to  prove  that 
the  English  dominion  really  extended  as  far  as  the 
Portuguese  settlements ; but  it  is  now  known  that 
the  Orange  River  is  the  boundary  of  our  colony  on 
the  west  coast. 

“ Beyond  this  boundary,  and  at  the  place  called 
Angras  Juntas,”  says  Morrell,  “there  is  a small 
bend  in  the  land,  a mile  and  a half  wide  where  it 


PLUM-PUDDING. ALBATROSS. POSSESSION.  331 

commences,  running  about  a mile  to  the  eastward. 
Here,  when  the  wind  is  southerly,  ships  may  find 
tolerable  shelter.  There  is  also  a small  rock  that 
stands  about  two  miles  to  the  S.W.  of  this  point 
which  has  deep  water  all  round  it. 

“At  the  entrance  of  this  bay  there  are  fourteen 
fathoms  of  water,  which  gradually  lessen  to  five 
within  about  half  a mile  from  the  land.  The  bot- 
tom is  sandy.  The  best  anchorage  is  under  the 
south  shore  (one  fourth  of  a mile  from  the  point 
to  the  S.W.),  in  six  fathoms  of  water.11  This  is 
the  account  given  of  it  by  Morrell;  but  Captain 
Messum,  who  visited  the  spot  at  a much  later  pe- 
riod, informs  me  that  the  cove  has  since  filled  up. 

Hence,  with  the  exception  of  a few  small  islets, 
or  rather  rocks,  viz.,  the  “Plum-pudding,11  and  the 
“Albatross,11  there  are  scarcely  any  more  points  to 
be  noticed  on  the  coast  until  we  arrive  at  the  “Pos- 
session,11 an  island  situated  (according  to  Captain 
Owen)  in  26°  56'  30"  S.  lat.  This  island,  about 
three  miles  in  length  and  one  in  width,  has  been 
long  known  to  navigators  for  its  good  anchorage 
and  as  a depository  for  guano — a manure  which  at 
one  time  abounded  there.  The  place  was  formerly 
a favorite  resort  of  seals.  It  affords  at  present  a 
good  shelter,  as  I have  said,  to  vessels  at  all  sea- 
sons, though  the  navigation  is  not  without  danger ; 
for  there  are  sunken  rocks  off  its  south  point,  and 
a reef,  about  three  miles  in  extent,  projects  from  its 
N.E.  extremity,  over  which  the  sea  often  breaks 


332  ELIZABETH  BAY. ANGLIA  PEQUENA. 

with  great  fury.  The  rocks  and  reefs,  however,  to 
the  eastward,  keep  the  sea  pretty  well  out  of  the 
harbor.  Between  the  extreme  points  of  this  reef 
and  the  main  land  the  channel  is  three  miles  wide, 
with  a depth  of  water  of  from  eleven  to  seven  fath- 
oms, and  with  a sandy  bottom,  making  altogether  a 
safe  haven.  It  is  much  exposed,  nevertheless,  both 
to  northerly  and  southerly  winds.  On  the  east  side 
is  a landing-place  for  boats.  Ships  intending  to 
anchor  while  the  south  winds  are  fresh  should  ap- 
proach the  anchorage  from  the  south,  and  leave  it 
by  the  opposite  passage. 

In  the  months  of  August,  September,  and  Oc- 
tober, vast  quantities  of  penguins’  eggs  may  be  ob- 
tained in  this  island;  along  its  shores  there  is  at 
all  times  an  abundance  of  fish  of  excellent  quality. 

Elizabeth  Bay,  a small  indentation  of  the  coast, 
is  exactly  fronted  by  Possession  Island.  u Between 
this  place  and  Cape  Voltas  there  are  many  small 
islets  and  reefs,  lying  half  a mile  from  the  shore, 
but  at  double  that  distance  from  the  land  there  are 
no  dangers  to  be  encountered,  and  ships,  if  becalm- 
ed, may  anchor  five  miles  from  the  coast  in  from 
fifteen  to  twenty  fathoms,  on  a sandy  bottom  : these 
soundings  extend  along  the  whole  range  of  coast.” 

About  five  leagues  north  of  “Possession,”  in  lat. 
26°  38'  S.,  Angra  Pequena  (a  small  bay)  forms  a 
very  conspicuous  break  in  the  coast.  The  extrem- 
ity of  the  little  peninsula  forming  the  southern  por- 
tion of  this  harbor  is  called  Pedestal  Point  (lat. 


THE  NATIVES  VICTIMS  TO  BRANDY.  333 

26°  38'  S.).  It  derives  its  name  from  a marble 
pedestal,  said  to  have  been  erected  here  by  Bar- 
tholomew Diaz  in  1486.  This  monument  of  the 
perseverance  and  skill  of  that  great  navigator  has, 
however,  long  since  disappeared;  the  tradition  is 
that  it  was  destroyed  by  some  ignorant  or  mischiev- 
ous person,  in  the  hope  of  finding  treasures  beneath 
its  foundation. 

The  aspect  of  Angra  Pequena  is  as  dreary  and 
melancholy  as  it  is  possible  to  conceive.  Scarcely 
a vestige  of  vegetation  is  to  be  found  within  some 
miles  of  the  place ; dry  sand  and  rocks,  time-worn 
and  buffeted  by  centuries  of  bad  weather,  constitute 
the  whole  landscape.  Moreover,  there  is  no  fresh 
water  to  be  had  here.  To  remedy  this  deficiency, 
an  attempt  was  made,  some  time  ago,  to  sink  a 
well  in  one  of  the  granite  rocks,  but  the  task  proved 
a failure.  Yet,  despite  these  disadvantages,  Angra 
has  long  been  resorted  to  by  traders,  who  have  a 
depot  here,  which  is  occasionally  visited  by  the  na- 
tives of  the  interior,  who  bring  with  them  for  sale 
cattle,  fur  skins,  ostrich  feathers,  etc.  For  these 
goods  they  receive  in  exchange  clothing,  tobacco, 
guns,  ammunition,  etc.,  but  more  especially  spirits, 
to  which  the  Namaquas,  who  have  once  tasted  the 
fiery  liquid,  are  fearfully  addicted ; they  will  sacri- 
fice their  last  ox  or  sheep  to  procure  intoxicating 
drinks.  Indeed,  this  portion  of  the  country,  which 
never  could  boast  of  much  wealth,  has  been  nearly 
ruined  by  brandy. 


334  THE  SEAL. THE  SHARK. ROBERT  HARBOR; 

The  sailors  of  the  different  whaling,  sealing,  and 
guano  ships  that  have  touched  at  Angra  for  fresh 
provisions  have  frequently,  it  is  affirmed,  taken  ad- 
vantage of  this  failing  of  the  natives  to  cheat  them 
of  their  property  in  the  most  scandalous  manner. 
By  promises  (probably  never  intended  to  be  kept) 
of  presents,  etc.,  they  have  been  in  the  habit  of  in- 
ducing the  poor  savages  to  come  on  board  with 
their  cattle,  when,  either  by  frightening  them  to 
part  with  their  live-stock  for  trifles,  or  by  making 
them  drunk,  they  usually  contrived  to  take  posses- 
sion of  the  property  of  their  simple  guests,  and  to 
send  them  on  shore  without  any  remuneration. 

There  are  several  islands  about  Angra  Pequena, 
such  as  the  “Penguin,”  the  “Seal,”  the  “Shark,1* 
etc.  (none  exceeding  a mile  in  length),  which,  to- 
gether with  the  neighboring  bays  and  inlets,  afford 
most  excellent  anchorage. 

“Between  the  main  land,  Penguin  and  Shark 
Island,  Robert  Harbor  has  also  a good  sheltered  an- 
chorage, in  five  fathoms  of  water,  with  clay  bottom. 
This  harbor  may  be  entered  and  left  with  perfect 
safety,  either  from  the  N.  or  S.  end  of  Penguin  Isl- 
and, but  the  southern  entrance  is  to  be  preferred. 
The  best  situation  to  cast  anchor  is  on  the  east  side 
of  the  bay,  near  its  centre,  about  two  cables1  length 
from  the  shore,  leaving  a single  rock  that  lies  level 
with  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  nearly  in  mid- 
channel, about  half  a mile  to  the  north  of  this  pas- 


A SPECULATION  ABANDONED. ICHABOE.  335 

At  Angra  Pequena,  before  noon,  light  northerly 
winds  are  prevalent,  and  in  the  afternoon  fresh 
S.  W.  breezes.  At  2h‘  30m'  P.M.  on  full  and  change 
of  moon  it  is  high  water  ; the  spring  tides  rise  eight 
feet. 

Many  years  ago  specimens  of  copper  ore  were 
discovered  in  the  neighborhood  of  Angra  Pequena, 
and  a company  was  shortly  afterward  formed  in 
England  for  the  purpose  of  working  the  supposed 
mines ; after  some  time  and  much  money  had  been 
expended,  the  speculation  was  found,  however,  to 
be  a losing  one,  and  the  establishment  was  in  con- 
sequence broken  up. 

From  Angra  Pequena  a dangerous  reef  extends 
along  the  coast  to  near  the  island  of  Ichaboe  (lat. 
26°  18'  S.) — once  so  famous  for  its  guano,  of  which 
more  anon. 

The  first  place  one  meets  of  any  consequence  after 
leaving  this  reef  is  Ichaboe  itself.  Hottentot  Bay, 
which  is  situated  about  fifteen  miles  north  of  that 
island,  is  spacious  and  well-sheltered  from  the  pre- 
vailing southerly  winds.  It  has  a moderate  depth 
of  water,  gradually  shallowing  toward  the  shores ; 
the  bottom  is  a mixture  of  clay  and  sand,  and  forms, 
in  consequence,  most  excellent  holding-ground.  In 
the  summer  time  a vessel  may  be  hove  down  here 
with  ease. 

On  the  authority  of  Captain  Livingstone,  it  is 
stated  that  an  excellent  bay,  not  previously  marked 
in  any  chart,  was  discovered  by  Mr.  P.  Eae,  master 


336 


RAE  BAY. 


of  the  “ Gallovidia”  schooner,  in  1844.  It  has  been 
called  by  the  name  of  its  discoverer ; its  position 
is  laid  down  in  lat.  26°  8'  S. 

“This  bay,”  says  Mr.  Findlay,  “is  three  and  a 
half  miles  long,  with  a breadth  of  about  three  miles. 
A point,  somewhat  similar  to  that  which  runs  out 
to  the  southward  of  Ichaboe,  stretches  out  from  the 
main  land,  and  shelters  the  haven  from  the  south- 
ward. It  forms,  on  the  whole,  a secure  anchorage, 
having  a clean  bottom  of  blue  sand  and  mud,  with 
gradual  and  regular  soundings  of  from  eleven  to 
three  and  a half  fathoms. 

“The  point  just  alluded  to  is  in  part  rocky  and 
cliffy,  but  near  the  main  land  low  and  sandy,  so 
that  Ichaboe  may  be  seen  from  the  mast-head  of 
even  a moderate-sized  vessel  anchored  here.  On 
the  south  side  of  the  bay  is  a small  islet  or  rock, 
and  a reef  connected  with  the  shore. 

L c A reef  also,  partly  rock  and  partly  sand,  ex- 
tends from  the  point  to  the  westward.  It  has  two 
fathoms  water  almost  close  to  the  point,  but  may 
be  considered  as  dangerous  for  a mile  and  a half 
farther  on,  or  even  in  eight  fathoms  water,  where 
the  sea  has  been  seen  to  break  heavily  on  the  bar. 
This  bay  is  completely  sheltered  from  the  S.W., 
round  by  south  and  east  to  the  N.W.,  and  may 
afford  a refuge  to  any  vessel  overrunning  Ichaboe 
harbor,  and  till  a favorable  opportunity  occurs  of 
returning  to  that  island.  ” 

Near  the  26th  degree  of  S.  lat. — between  lat. 


spencer's  BAY. MERCURY  ISLAND.  337 

25°  40'  and  25°  45'  S. — lies  Spencer’s  Bay,  which 
presents  toward  its  south  point  several  high-peaked 
rocks,  almost  six  hundred  feet  perpendicular  at  the 
water’s  edge.  This  bay,  with  a rocky  bottom,  and 
scarcely  any  shelter  from  the  sea,  is,  when  a strong 
southerly  wind  prevails,  a very  unsafe  place  of  an- 
chorage. In  July  and  August  it  is  frequented  by 
whales. 

Nearly  at  the  middle  of  the  entrance  to  Spencer’s 
Bay,  at  about  three  quarters  of  a mile  from  the 
S.W.  point,  and  at  one  mile  and  a half  from  the 
N.E.  end,  the  voyager  comes  upon  Mercury  Island. 
This  is  a bleak,  rugged  rock,  of  an  oblong  shape, 
about  one  mile  in  circumference,  bearing  N.  and 
S.,  and  rising  about  two  hundred  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea,  which  at  times  beats  against  its 
sides  with  indescribable  fury.  In  the  face  of  this 
rock  there  is  an  immense  cavern,  into  which  the  sea 
rushes  through  several  apertures  or  rents,  causing 
thereby  an  awful  noise  and  commotion. 

This  rock  is  the  favorite  resort  of  the  penguin, 
the  gannet,  and  other  birds ; seals  also  haunt  it  in 
abundance. 

Considerable  quantities  of  guano  have  been 
brought  away  from  Mercury  Island,  and  merchants 
at  the  Cape  continue  still  to  draw  from  it  small 
supplies,  though  the  manure  is  said  to  be  of  a very 
indifferent  quality.  On  one  of  my  voyages  up  the 
coast  I visited  the  place,  which  was  then  occupied 
by  some  laborers  stationed  there  to  collect  guano. 

Y 


338 


hollam’s  bird  isle. 


It  is  impossible  to  conceive  any  thing  more  wild 
and  dreary  than  this  isolated  spot,  and  nothing 
but  the  hope  of  great  profits  could,  I imagine,  ever 
induce  men  to  imprison  themselves  in  so  wretched 
a dungeon  ; a sentence  of  transportation  could  not 
certainly  be  more  severe  and  more  penal  than  the 
banishment  and  confinement  the  guano  gatherers 
impose  upon  themselves. 

Between  Spencer’s  and  Walwich  Bay,  at  about 
nine  miles  from  the  main  land,  we  next  encounter 
Hollam’s  Bird  Isle,  situated  in  lat.  24°  37'  S.  This 
is  a small  rocky  island,  not  above  a quarter  of  a 
mile  in  circumference,  possessing  hut  very  indiffer- 
ent anchorage  at  its  northern  extremity,  while  a, 
reef  of  rocks,  on  which  the  waves  frequently  break 
heavily,  runs  out  in  a S.W.  direction.  Indeed, 
there  is  almost  always  much  sea  hereabouts,  which 
renders  landing  difficult  and  even  dangerous. 

During  the  months  of  July  and  August,  the  reef 
just  spoken  of  is  frequented  by  numbers  of  those 
whales  which  seafaring  men  term  the  u right  whale.  ” 
Whalers  were,  and  I believe  are  still,  in  the  habit 
of  occasionally  resorting  to  the  islet ; and,  if  pro- 
vided with  chain  cables,  may  lie  at  anchor  on  the 
north  side  of  it  (in  ten  fathoms  water)  the  whole 
season. 

Hollam’s  Bird  Isle  is  largely  resorted  to  by  pen- 
guins, gannets,  and  seals.  A few  turtles  are  also 
reported  to  frequent  the  east  side  of  it,  where  the 
beach  is  of  a sandy  nature. 


SANDWICH  HARBOR. 


339 


Sandwich  Harbor  — the  Porto  d’llheo  of  the 
Portuguese,  in  lat.  23°  S.,  or  about  thirteen  leagues 
fromWalwich  Bay — though  honored  with  so  high- 
sounding  a name,  might  perhaps,  with  more  pro- 
priety, be  called  a lagoon,  two  leagues  or  there- 
abouts in  length,  with  a depth  of  water  varying 
from  seven  to  two  fathoms.  It  is  formed  on  the 
east  side  by  a high,  white,  bluff  sand-hill,  and  on 
the  west  by  a low  sandy  peninsula,  nearly  level 
with  the  sea,  with  shoal  water  for  more  than  a 
mile  on  the  sea-board.  The  entrance  of  the  lagoon, 
formed  by  two  low  sandy  points,  is  very  narrow, 
and  not  more  than  a quarter  of  a mile  wide. 

On  the  beach  at  Sandwich  Harbor  there  is  a co- 
pious fresh  spring,  yielding  most  excellent  water. 
Pasturage  for  cattle  may  also  be  had  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. Yet,  despite  these  advantages,  it  is  de- 
prived of  the  importance  it  would  otherwise  have 
by  the  immense  hillocks  of  soft  yielding  sand  which 
cut  off  its  communication  with  the  interior. 

Sandwich  Harbor  abounds  so  much  in  fish,  that 
some  years  ago  a Cape  merchant  established  a fish- 
ery here,  which  was  and  is  conducted  with  consider- 
able success.  The  fish  taken,  being  salted  and  dried, 
are  exported  to  the  Mauritius,  where  they  always 
command  a ready  sale,  not  unfrequently  fetching 
the  high  price  of  <£30  to  £35 — nay,  they  have  even 
realized  £38  per  ton,  that  is,  for  one  kind  of  fish 
called  u snook.11  Other  kinds  scarcely  fetch  more 
than  one  half  of  this  high  price. 


340 


THE  IVORY  TRADE. 


The  next  point  of  interest — and  probably  the 
most  important  of  all  north  of  the  Orange  River 
— is  Walwich  Bay ; but  as  this  place  has  already 
been  so  fully  described  in  a former  work  of  mine 
(“Lake  Ngami”),  I need  not  here  dwell  on  the 
subject  farther  than  just  to  state  one  or  two  facts. 
First,  since  my  last  publication,  an  important  fish- 
ery has  been  established  here.  It  has  not,  it  is 
true,  yet  proved  remunerative ; the  prospect  of  its 
being  so  is  nevertheless  extremely  hopeful.  Sec- 
ondly, the  exports  and  imports  of  this  “port1’  have 
very  considerably  increased,  and  promise  to  increase 
still  more  when  once  the  regions  newly  discovered 
and  explored  by  me  have  been  sufficiently  laid  open 
to  commercial  enterprise.  Lastly,  the  ivory  trade 
of  the  lake  districts,  which  formerly  found  an  outlet 
on  the  east  coast  of  South  Africa,  has  been  almost 
entirely  turned  into  this  channel,  to  the  direct  and 
substantial  benefit  of  the  commerce  of  the  Cape. 


THE  SWAKOP  RIVER. 


341 


CHAPTER  XXYII. 

The  Swakop  River. — Half-moon  Bay. — The  Omaruru  River, 
r — Cape  Cross. — The  wrecked  Vessel. — Mount  Messum. — 
Berg  Damaras. — Hogden’s  Harbor. — Cock’s  Comb  and 
Sugar  Loaf. — Supposed  permanent  Stream. — Fort  Rock 
Point. — Cape  Frio. — The  Cunene,  or  Nourse  River. — Great 
Fish  Bay. — Formation  and  Disappearance  of  Bays,  etc. — 
Excursion  inland  from  Great  Fish  Bay. — The  FTourse  River 
again. — Bembarougi. — Port  Alexander. — The  River  Flamin- 
gos.— The  N atives. — Fossil  Shells. — Summary. — Concluding- 
Remarks  : Rivers,  Harbors,  Islands,  etc. ; Winds,  Tempera- 
ture, Rollers ; Scarcity  of  Rain. 

Sailing  northward  from  the  anchorage  at  Wal- 
wich  Bay,  the  voyager  finds  the  shore  clear  of  all 
dangers  until  he  arrives  at  the  mouth  of  the  Swakop 
River.  Here  a slight  indentation  is  formed  by  one 
reef  jutting  off  from  its  southern,  and  another  from 
its  northern  extremity,  with  a distance  of  about  two 
miles  and  a half  between  them.  The  bed  of  this 
river  can  be  plainly  traced  E.N.E.  for  a mile  and 
a half;  it  then  makes  a curve  to  the  S.E.,  and  is 
at  once  lost  to  view.  At  its  mouth,  Mount  Col- 
quhoun,  a most  conspicuous  mass  of  rock,  distant 
about  eighteen  miles  from  the  shore,  may  be  seen 
towering  up  to  an  elevation  of  three  thousand  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea.  On  both  sides  of  this 
embouchure  are  also  several  sand-hills;  those  to 


M2 


THE  SWAKOP  RIVER. 


tlie  south  presenting  a dark  brown  appearance, 
while  those  to  the  north,  containing  bright  specks 
of  mica,  have  a lighter  tint,  the  two  ranges  ascend- 
ing together  with  a gentle  slope  to  the  base  of  the 
mountain  just  named. 

The  soundings  from  Walwich  Bay  to  the  moutli 
of  the  Swakop,  i.  e.,  to  within  three  miles  of  the 
shore,  are  sixteen  fathoms,  with  scarcely  any  varia- 
tion, for  the  bottom  consists  of  sand ; but  about 
three  quarters  of  a mile  from  the  coast,  the  bottom 
becoming  rocky  and  foul,  the  water  runs  only  to  a 
depth  of  nine  or  ten  fathoms. 

North  of  the  Swakop  is  a low,  sandy  foreshore,* 
thirteen  miles  or  thereabouts  in  extent,  with  oc- 
casional clusters  of  shrubs.  Here  a reef,  project- 
ing from  a sandy  point,  forms  a half-moon  bay, 
where  landing  can  be  effected.  Several  reefs  be- 
sides, twelve  or  thirteen  miles  long,  shoot  out  al- 
most from  the  shore,  which  is  level,  and  devoid  of 
all  vegetation  except  a few  bushes.  Inland,  the 
country,  after  an  hour  or  two’s  walk,  becomes  rug- 
ged; and  at  five-and-twenty  or  thirty  miles’  dis- 
tance, a chain  of  black  rocky  mountains,  extending 
as  far  as  the  16th  degree  of  S.  lat.,  comes  in  view. 
The  southern  extremity  of  this  range  is  conspicu- 
ously marked  out  by  a hill  of  considerable  height, 
shaped  exactly  like  a dome. 

From  about  lat.  22°  15'  the  shore  trends  some- 
what to  the  northwest  for  nearly  five  miles,  when 
* A low  shore  backed  by  higher  ground. 


THE  OMARURU. 


343 


another  small  half-moon  bay  is  found  partially  pro- 
tected by  a reef  off  the  point  to  the  westward.  This 
place  affords  some  facility  for  landing  with  boats, 
so  that  the  reefs  to  the  north  may  be  satisfactorily 
examined.  Three  miles  farther  on  along  the  coast- 
line— though  by  the  beach  not  till  after  two  hours' 
irksome  walking — one  comes  upon  a river,  and  a 
considerable  patch  of  swampy  ground  close  to  the 
sea,  where  fresh  water  may  be  had  and  flocks  may 
feed.  Captain  Messum  found  numerous  tracks  of 
the  gnu  and  the  gemsbok  in  this  district.  Not 
above  two  miles  farther  north,  he  discovered,  too, 
the  mouth  of  another  river,  where  he  noticed  vast 
quantities  of  drift-wood,  composed  often  of  trees  of 
considerable  magnitude,  piled  above  each,  other  in 
regular  tiers.  As  there  is  very  little  vegetation  of 
any  kind  in  the  neighborhood,  he  conjectured  that 
the  timber  must  have  come  from  some  distance; 
and,  moreover,  that  the  current  must  occasionally, 
at  least,  be  very  powerful,  as  it  had  forced  a pas- 
sage through  a sandy  table-land,  elevated  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
and  extending  to  within  a few  miles  of  Cape  Cross. 
This,  no  doubt,  is  the  Omaruru  River,  briefly  de- 
scribed in  the  first  chapter  of  this  narrative. 

From  the  Omaruru  to  Cape  Cross  the  shore  has 
a fine  bold  outline,  and  is  quite  free  from  danger. 
Captain  Messum  sailed  along  it  within  a distance 
of  from  three  quarters  to  half  a mile,  and  found  a 
depth  of  water  varying  from  seven  to  eight  fathoms. 


344 


CAPE  CROSS. 


Cape  Cross,  a rocky  headland,  projecting  about 
a mile  to  the  westward  of  the  southern  line  of  sea- 
coast,  forms  a bay  to  the  northward  of  from  two 
and  a quarter  to  three  and  a half  miles  in  depth. 
From  the  point  of  this  promontory  there  is  a reef, 
about  one  hundred  yards  long,  which  terminates 
abruptly  in  a depth  of  ten  fathoms  of  water.  On 
rounding  the  Cape,  fair  anchorage  is  immediately 
found  in  six  fathoms,  but  the  best  anchorage  is  to  be 
had — after  passing  a slight  projection  from  which 
another  reef  extends — about  a mile  and  a quarter 
farther  on.  To  within  half  a mile  of  this  second 
point  the  bottom  is  clear  and  sandy,  with  a seven 
fathoms  depth  of  water.  In  attempting,  however, 
to  effect  a landing,  Captain  Messum’s  boat  was 
swamped,  for  a heavy  swell  from  the  S.W.  sweeps 
round  the  points,  and  throws  sometimes  immense 
rollers  on  the  beach.  One  must  therefore,  in  dis- 
embarking, watch  one’s  opportunity.  The  best  mo- 
ment to  make  a push  for  the  shore  is  while  the  lull 
lasts,  which  takes  place  after  seven  or  eight  success- 
ive seas  have  spent  their  force.  The  best  landing 
is  abreast  of  a red  sandstone  roclc. 

At  this  place  Captain  Messum  discovered  a 
wrecked  vessel,  the  remains  of  the  one,  no  doubt, 
mentioned  in  “Lake  Ngami,1’  of  which  Jonker 
Afrikander  went  in  search.  From  finding  an  iron 
cooking  range  in  good  preservation,  and  other  signs 
of  late  habitation  on  the  coast,  he  conjectured  that 
the  crew,  or  at  least  part  of  it,  had  been  saved,  and 


MOUNT  MESSUM. 


345 


had  for  a while  remained  here.  The  vessel,  which 
he  supposed  to  be  of  American  construction,  was 
deeply  imbedded  in  the  sand  at  the  head  of  the 
bay ; nothing  of  her  was  visible  but  a few  timbers. 

Directly  inland  (from  Cape  Cross),  the  highest 
and  most  conspicuous  peak  of  the  whole  black 
mountain  range,  recently  mentioned,  rears  its  head 
very  loftily.  It  rises,  indeed,  to  the  height  of  about 
3200  feet  above  the  level  of  the  plain.  Its  western 
and  eastern  faces  are  abrupt,  while  its  southern  ex- 
tremity is  nearly  perpendicular.  My  friend  has 
given  to  this  peak  the  name  of  Mount  Messum. 
The  Berg  Damaras  in  the  neighborhood  call  it 
Dourissa. 

From  the  bay  to  the  foot  of  this  mountain  runs 
a level,  sandy  plain  ; but  to  the  north,  and  near  the 
shore,  are  high  sand  hillocks,  with  an  extensive 
salt  plain  to  the  eastward.  “After  journeying  ten 
miles,”  says  Captain  Messum,  “we  saw  the  tracks 
of  human  beings ; and  Bobinson  Crusoe  was  not 
more  astonished  at  perceiving  the  traces  of  a man’s 
foot  in  his  desert  island  than  we  were  at  seeing  the 
like  traces  in  the  hardly  less  desert  region  we  were 
now  traversing.  Close  under  Mount  Messum  we, 
according  to  these  indications,  found  a village  of 
Berg  Damaras,  consisting  of  about  fifty  families, 
possessing  goats  and  a few  sheep,  but  no  large 
horned  cattle.  We  found  also  several  wells  of 
good  water.  The  appearance  of  the  people  was 
not  very  prepossessing ; they  looked  as  if  they  had 


346 


COSTUME  OF  THE  NATIVES. 


been  just  shaken  out  of  a bag  of  soot.  Their  hair, 
though  woolly,  hung  long,  from  some  artificial  con- 
straint, down  their  backs.  The  men’s  dress  con- 
sisted of  a square  piece  of  skin  depending  from  the 
waist  in  front,  and  tails  hanging  behind,  with  a 
broad  leathern  strap  wound  several  times  round 
the  body.  The  dress  of  the  women  was  rather 
more  ample ; it  was  fastened  round  the  waist  with 
a girdle,  and  they  could  at  pleasure  cover  their 
shoulders  and  breasts.  I saw  no  kind  of  European 
ornament  among  them  ; but  one  man,  who  appeared 
to  be  a chief,  was  decorated  with  two  blown  blad- 
ders at  each  ear. 

“The  food  of  this  people  appeared  to  consist  of 
nara  seeds  and  small  bulbs.  * From  poles  in  their 
huts  parts  of  gemsboks  often  depended,  and  as  the 
huts  themselves  were  usually  covered  with  the  skins 
of  the  same  animal,  I should  suppose  that  this  game 
is  very  plentiful  in  this  place.  The  natives  were 
not  the  least  afraid  of  us,  but  jabbered  away  in  a 
language  which,  having  only  an  occasional  click, 
was  rather  more  musical  than  that  of  the  Nama- 
quas. 

“Vegetation  is  very  scanty  in  this  country;  yet 
the  goats  and  sheep  were  in  excellent  condition. 

* Seeds  of  grasses  contribute  also  largely  to  their  nourish- 
ment, more  especially  one  kind,  which  they  are  in  the  habit  of 
taking  from  a certain  species  of  small  black  ant,  who,  as  usual 
with  the  industrious,  store  them  in  large  quantities  for  hard 
times. 


DANGERS  OF  THE  COAST. 


347 


Flocks  of  these  animals,  and  a few  spears  tipped 
with  the  horn  of  the  gemsbok,  seemed  to  constitute 
all  the  property  the  natives  possessed.  I saw  no 
iron  of  any  description  among  them.”  This  last 
circumstance  is  very  remarkable,  for  the  stranded 
vessel  was  so  near  that  they  might  have  easily  ob- 
tained almost  any  quantity  of  that  metal  from  the 
wreck. 

“From  the  anchorage  at  Cape  Cross  the  coast  is 
for  about  eighteen  miles  uniform,  and  free  from 
every  kind  of  danger,  with  the  exception  of  one, 
which  may  be  incurred  from  a shoal  patch  nine 
miles  to  the  north.  The  soundings,  from  half  a 
mile  to  upward  of  a mile  from  the  shore,  are  pretty 
regular,  varying  only  from  seven  to  ten  fathoms. 
The  high  sand-hills  terminate  just  before  the  eight- 
een miles  alluded  to  end.  Here  a bay  is  formed, 
in  which  landing  can  be  effected.  North  of  this 
the-low  shore,  running  four  or  five  miles  inland,  is 
but  a continuation  of  the  salt  plain  already  men- 
tioned. 

“Passing  northward,  the  coast  runs  almost  in  a 
straight  line,  free  of  coves,  creeks,  or  indentations 
of  any  kind,  until  the-  21°  of  S.  lat.,  when  there 
commences  a series  of  bays,  reefs,  rocks,  and  recifs* 
or  bars,  which  extend  as  far  as  twenty-five  miles, 
i.  e.,  to  lat.  20°  39'  S.  The  most  southerly  of  this 
chain  of  coast  dangers  is  a bay  of  some  depth,  be- 
set with  many  shoals,  over  which  the  sea,  when 

* A recif  implies  a bar  running  parallel  with  the  shore. 


348 


hogden’s  harbor. 


agitated,  breaks  with  great  fury.  From  this  point 
a recif  stretches  about  five  miles  northwest,  until  it 
almost  reaches  another  point  (having  a similar  bay) 
fronted  by  another  recif,  which  runs  three  miles  in 
a northern  direction,  till  it  nearly  joins  a reef  to 
the  westward,  a full  mile  and  a half  from  the  shore, 
when,  bending  to  the  north  on  a line  with  the  coast, 
it  forms  a third  bar,  inside  of  which  the  water  ap- 
pears smooth. 

“ In  lat.  20°  47'  S.  there  is  a remarkable  break  of 
about  three  quarters  of  a mile  in  the  sand-hills,  evi- 
dently caused  by  an  immense  body  of  water  at  times 
rushing  through  their  heavy  heaps. 

“This  twenty-five  miles  (just  spoken  of),”  con- 
tinues Captain  Messum,  “formed  the  most  interest- 
ing portion  of  our  exploring  cruise.  The  Portu- 
guese, in  their  charts,  place  a harbor,  named  Angra 
de  St.  Ambrosia,  on  this  part  of  the  coast,  near  the 
21st  degree  of  lat.  Morrell,  the  American  navi- 
gator, also  discovered  a bay  here,  which  he  calls 
Hogden’s  Harbor ; after  fifteen  days1  search,  how- 
ever, both  with  the  vessel  and  with  the  boats,  we 
could  not  find  it.  The  harbor,  if  it  really  existed, 
has,  I conjecture,  been  filled  up  by  the  encroach- 
ment of  sand ; for  the  wind  blowing  almost  always 
one  way,  or  from  S.S.W.,  similar  events  are  not 
unfrequent  on  this  coast.  I have  known  even  lo- 
calities where,  at  one  time,  mountains  of  sand  met 
the  eye,  reduced  in  the  course  of  a few  months  to 
level  plains.” 


cock’s-comb  and  sugar-loaf  mountains.  349 

There  seemed  to  be  more  vegetation  hereabouts 
than  in  any  other  place  we  had  yet  visited.  We 
also  saw  natives,  and  at  Double  Point  Bight  a great 
quantity  of  fish  hanging  on  poles  and  stakes  to  dry ; 
but  the  sea  beat  with  too  much  fury  along  the  whole 
extent  of  coast  to  allow  us  to  land.  I neverthe- 
less, on  two  different  occasions,  spent  a considera- 
ble time,  at  this  point,  and  traced  the  recif  twelve 
miles  in  a whale-boat,  in  the  vain  hope  of  discover- 
ing an  opening  through  which  one  might  get  into 
safe  water.  Yet  I would  not  say  that  an  anchor- 
age may  not  be  found  in  the  vicinity;  in  which 
case,  or  could  a passage  be  effected  through  the 
reef,  this  place  would  be,  from  its  central  situation, 
more  adapted  than  most  others  for  a trading  estab- 
lishment. 

From  the  part  of  the  coast  of  which  I am  at  pres- 
ent speaking,  at  some  distance  inland,  two  remark- 
able rocky  mountains  may  be  seen — the  Cock’s 
Comb  to  the  south,  and  the  Sugar  Loaf*  to  the 
north.  These  names,  given  them  by  me,  mark  them 
out  so  distinctly,  that  the  moment  they  are  seen 
they  must  be  recognized. 

North  of  the  recif  just  alluded  to,  the  coast,  as- 
suming a bold  outline,  is  very  little  varied  by  coves 
or  embayments,  and  is  pretty  free  from  danger. 
The  sea  here,  in  some  places  dashing  perpetually 

* In  my  journey  through  western  Damara  Land  I obtained 
a glimpse  of  these  peaks  on  two  or  three  different  occasions. — 
Author . 


350 


MOUNTAIN  RANGES. 


against  the  base  of  the  sand-hills,  gives  them  the 
form  of  almost  perpendicular  cliffs.  Close  in-shore 
Captain  Messum  obtained  no  soundings  with  a 
hand-lead-line  twenty  fathoms  long. 

In  lat.  19°  19'  S.,  the  shore  is  fronted  by  a bar 
or  recif,  about  a cable’s  length  distant.  Twelve 
miles  farther  north,  19°  1'  lat.,  a river  is  seen  mean- 
dering through  a low,  sandy  flat,  which,  as  it  ap- 
pears to  be  a permanent  stream,*  may  be  a most 
important  and  interesting  discovery.  At  its  mouth 
Captain  Messum  observed  a great  deal  of  vegeta- 
tion, and  much  drift-wood  on  the  beach.  He  also 
hit  upon  a village  of  natives,  who  possessed  a few 
goats.  The  black  rocky  mountain  range  already 
mentioned  loses  gradually  at  this  spot  its  regular- 
ity, and  at  last  strays  and  stumbles  into  the  direst 
confusion.  Another  range,  dividing  the  main  chain, 
then  runs  off  to  the  eastward,  along  the  southern 
base  of  which  the  river,  no  doubt,  finds  its  bed. 

* When  in  the  Ovambo  country,  Mr.  Galton  and  I visited 
one  day  a kind  of  vley  river — that  is,  a succession  of  vleys  or 
pools — which  the  natives  gave  us  to  understand  flowed  west- 
ward. The  Damaras  also  stated  that  a considerable  running 
stream  existed  in  those  parts,  but  as  their  accounts  were  rath- 
er obscure  and  conflicting,  we  took  no  notice  of  them.  There 
can  not  be  much  doubt,  however,  that  the  river  discovered  by 
Captain  Messum  is  the  one  we  saw,  or  some  other  not  far  off. 

Since  the  discovery  of  Lake  Onondova,  I am  rather  inclined 
to  think  that  the  river  seen  by  Captain  Messum  is  a continua- 
tion of,  or  rather  an  outlet  from  the  said  lake,  which  is  said  to 
flow  westward  between  the  Ovambo  and  Ovagandjera  country. 


FORT  ROCK  POINT. 


351 


This  range  does  not  reappear  again  to  the  north- 
ward for  a long  time. 

Six  miles  north  of  this  locality  is  a remarkable 
headland,  situated  at  the  extremity  of  a low  sandy 
point.  Close  to  it,  detached  indeed  from  its  side, 
is  a large  round  block  of  granite  (called  by  Captain 
Messum  Fort  Rock  Point),  which  thus  forms  be- 
tween the  cape  and  the  rock  a considerable  chasm. 
Round  the  sandy  point  is  besides  a cove,  with  a bar 
inclosing  smooth  water  extending  across  its  en- 
trance. There  is  here  every  facility  for  landing 
with  boats.  Vessels  may  anchor,  too,  in  five  fath- 
oms, bringing  the  rock  to  bear  W.S.W.,  but,  except 
in  fine  weather,  it  would  be  dangerous  to  do  so. 
The  place  is  particularly  worthy  of  notice  as  well 
suited  to  the  formation  of  a trading  establishment 
or  a missionary  station.  I do  not  mean  to  say  that 
a better  might  not  be  found,  though  the  good  land- 
ing for  boats  and  the  fair  roadstead  for  shipping  it 
affords  are  great  recommendations.  About  half  a 
mile  eastward  of  the  cove  we  moreover  saw  reeds, 
and  other  evident  indications  that  there  is  no  lack 
of  water  in  the  neighborhood. 

The  natives  here  differ  in  some  respects  from  the 
Berg  Damaras  of  Cape  Cross.  They  are  not  so 
dark  colored  as  their  compatriots  in  that  country, 
but  were  similarly  clad.  Their  huts  were  built  in 
the  conical  style,  and  covered  with  the  coarse  grasses 
and  reeds  which  grow  abundantly  in  the  vicinity. 
I observed  much  dried  dog-fish,  some  made  up  into 


352 


CAPE  FRIO. 


portable  bundles,  as  if  ready  for  transportation  to 
some  other  place.  It  may  possibly  be  that  some 
larger  village  is  situated  higher  up  the  bed  of  the 
river. 

One  mile  and  a half  north  of  the  Port  Pock 
Point  is  a shoal,  but),  the  water  inside  appearing 
quite  smooth,  it  may  probably  afford  better  anchor- 
age than  can  be  found  immediately  under  the  point. 
North  of  this  shoal  the  shore  is  high,  rugged,  and 
not  dangerous.  The  sand-hills  here  rise  to  a con- 
siderable height ; that  they,  however,  have  no  great 
depth,  is  shown  by  the  black  rock  peering  occa- 
sionally above  their  lower  surfaces.  Eight  to  ten 
miles  inland,  the  range  of  the  rocky  mountains  con- 
tinues to  run  at  a moderate  elevation,  N.  by  E.,  as 
far  as  lat.  18°  42'  S.,  where  the  low  narrow  fore- 
shore begins  to  expand,  leaving  a space  of  about 
two  miles  between  the  beach  and  the  sand-hills. 
Captain  Messum  again  observed  natives  here,  and 
a quantity  of  fish  drying  on  stakes,  but  did  not  suc- 
ceed in  landing. 

The  coast-line  northward  is  from  this  place  quite 
uniform,  until  a point  emerges  about  lat.  18°  27' 
S.,  between  which  and  Cape  Frio  it  makes  a half- 
moon sweep,  forming  a bay  five  miles  or  there- 
abouts round.  “Under  this  point,”  says  Captain 
Messum,  “which  I called  False  Cape  Frio,  tempo- 
rary anchorage  may  be  had  in  five  fathoms  of  water 
and  sandy  bottom,  by  bringing  the  point  to  bear 
W.S.W.  The  shore  here  is  low,  a high  block  of 


CAPE  FRIO.  353 

rock,  a detached  mass  from  the  main  mountain 
range,  forming  its  background.  ” 

Cape  Frio  is  also  a low  sandy  point,  under  the 
lee  of  which  tolerable  anchorage  is  to  be  had.  We 
passed  within  half  a mile  of  this  headland,  in  from 
six  and  a half  to  nine  fathoms  of  water,  with  a 
sandy  bottom,  the  point  bearing  W.S.W.  “This,” 
continues  Captain  Messum,  “is  a most  interesting 
locality,  and  would  be  a good  place  to  land  in  or- 
der to  explore  the  coast  northward  to  the  Nourse 
River.  There  is  every  appearance  of  water  near 
the  landing,  and  there  is  little  doubt  that  natives 
reside  in  the  neighborhood.  I did  not  examine  the 
spot  so  thoroughly  as  I should  do  on  another  oc- 
casion. I was  anxious  to  ascertain  whether  an 
immediate  disembarkation  could  be  effected  there, 
or  at  the  River  Nourse,  knowing  that,  if  not,  Great 
Fish  Bay  (the  southern  part  of  which  is  nearer  the 
river  than  Cape  Frio)  would  at  least  afford  me  a 
safe  harborage. 

“Leaving  Cape  Frio,  the  coast  runs  nearly  due 
north  and  south.  When  I passed  it  the  weather 
was  so  hazy  that  the  land  in  the  background  could 
not  be  distinguished.  We  coasted  along  within  a 
mile  to  a mile  and  a half  of  the  shore,  and  found 
the  waters  quite  safe,  excepting  only  where  a 
small  shoal  patch,  in  latitude  17°  50'  S.,  extends 
about  half  a mile  from  a low  beach  studded  with 
rocks.1’ 

In  lat.  17°  30'  S.  by  account  (and  long.  11°  46') 

Z 


354  THE  NOURSE,  OR  CUNENE. 

we  came  upon  the  mouth  of  the  Cunene  River, 
probably  the  same  as  the  Nourse.* 

“This  river  (the  Nourse)  lies  in  a bight,  and  ap- 
pears to  flow  into  the  sea  through  two  rocky  heads. 
Off  the  most  southern  of  these  is  a reef  extending 
several  hundred  yards  to  the  westward,  sheltering, 
it  would  seem,  a landing-place,  as  the  water  inside 
was  smooth  quite  up  to  the  river.  When  I first 
saw  the  reef  it  was  blowing  a gale  of  wind,  with  a 
heavy  sea  on,  so  that  the  break  occasionally  stretch- 
ed quite  across  to  its  northern  head.  Under  these 
circumstances  it  would  have  been  madness  to  at- 
tempt a landing,  and  we  could  see  but  a little  way 
inland,  for  immense  masses  of  sand,  whirled  about 
in  eddies  by  the  wind,  filled  the  atmosphere,  and 
hid  all  the  features  of  the  interior  country ; we 
observed,  however,  that  the  beach  to  the  north  was 
covered  with  large  timber-trees,  and  noticed  a palm- 
tree  quite  green,  which  could  not  have  been  many 
days  in  the  water.” 

In  a Lisbon  paper  ( Diario  do  Governo)  of  March, 
1855,  appeared  an  account  of  an  expedition  to  the 
Nourse,  or  Cunene,  undertaken  by  the  Governor 
of  Mossamedes,  in  order,  it  is  to  be  presumed,  to 
ascertain  how  far  the  descriptions  of  this  river  were 

* The  Nourse  River  was  discovered  by  Captain  Chapman, 
of  the  Espihgle,  in  1824 ; it  had  then  nine  feet  of  water  on  the 
bar,  and  was  described  as  navigable  for  small  craft.  Subse- 
quent surveying  expeditions  under  the  Leven  and  JBarracouta 
could,  however,  discern  no  traces  of  such  a river. 


A PORTUGUESE  EXPEDITION. 


355 


true,  and  with  the  farther  view,  it  is  probable,  of 
forming  a settlement  in  its  neighborhood.  The 
article  alluded  to  is  headed  Relatorio  da  Viagem 
feita  do  Rio  dos  Elephantes  em  Novembro  de  1854, 
and  is,  in  substance,  as  follows : 

“Having  sailed  in  a schooner  from  Mossamedes, 
the  governor  and  his  party  landed  at  Great  Fish 
Bay,  which  struck  them  as  the  most  dreary  and 
desolate  of  scenes.  Hence  they  traveled  on  foot 
along  the  beach  until  they  arrived  at  the  Cunene, 
which  they  reached  after  two  days’  fatiguing  march, 
without  water.  They  found  the  mouth  of  the  river 
entirely  blocked  up  by  sand.  Some  little  way  up 
its  course,  its  right  bank,  they  say,  became  rocky, 
and,  after  a while,  so  steep  and  rugged  that  the 
party  could  not  proceed  farther.  The  left  bank,  as 
far  as  they  could  see,  consisted  of  a succession  of 
sand-hills,  and  the  stream  itself  is  described  as  nar- 
row and  full  of  cataracts.  They  met  no  natives, 
but  supposed  the  country  might  be  inhabited  a 
little  higher  up.  Game,  however,  was  abundant, 
more  especially  elephants ; and  on  the  return  of 
the  expedition  to  Mossamedes,  elephant  hunts  to 
these  regions  were  promptly  got  up  by  adventurous 
sportsmen.” 

“From  the  Nourse  northward,”  says  Captain 
Messum,  in  continuation,  “the  shore  is  fronted  by 
a low  sandy  beach,  at  first  narrow  (about  half  a 
mile),  but  gradually  widening  until  it  reaches  Great 
Fish  Bay,  where  it  is  three  or  four  miles  in  breadth. 


356 


GREAT  FISH  BAY. 


The  sand-hills  at  the  back  of  this  low  fore-shore  are 
about  500  feet  high,  and  present  as  barren  and  des- 
olate a prospect  as  any  part  of  the  coast.  Accord- 
ing to  a rough  calculation  (presuming  the  Nourse 
River  to  be  in  lat.  17°  30'  S.),  the  distance  between 
this  stream  and  Great  Fish  Bay  will  be  nearly 
forty  miles  by  the  coast. 

“ Great  Fish  Bay  is  formed  by  the  Tiger  penin- 
sula, a long  sandy  tract  of  land,  in  no  place  ten  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  toward  its  southern 
extremity  so  narrow  that  the  sea  occasionally  washes 
over  it.  The  north  end  of  the  Tiger,  which  is  some- 
what broader,  perhaps  two  miles,  is  placed  in  lat. 
16°  30'  S.,  and  long.  11°  41/  E.  The  anchorage 
we  took  up  was,  according  to  my  observation,  in 
lat.  16°  50'  S.  This  calculation  will  give  the  bay 
a length  of  about  twenty-one  miles.  In  many  parts 
it  is  rocky ; its  head,  approaching  from  the  south, 
may  be  seen  several  miles  off.  The  water  on  its 
eastern  side  washes  the  base  of  the  sand-hills,  and 
contains  several  fine  mussel-beds. 

u In  the  survey  (made,  I think,  by  Captain  Owen) 
the  bay  is  represented  as  perfectly  safe ; yet  about 
ten  miles  south  from  the  point  is  a shoal,  on  which 
we  struck,  and  knocked  off  thirty  feet  of  our  false 
keel. 

“ Many  of  the  coves  and  inlets  on  this  coast  pos- 
sess the  same  features  as  that  of  Great  Fish  Bay. 
Thus  Angras  Juntas,  Hottentot  Bay,  Sandwich 
Harbor,  Walwich  Bay,  and  Port  Alexander,  are 


AN  EXCURSION  INLAND. 


357 


protected  by  narrow  banks  of  sand  accumulated  by 
the  S.S.W.  wind.  This  wind,  taking  the  sand-hills 
at  an  angle,  has  leveled  them  into  a low  sandy 
beach,  which  has  gradually  been,  by  the  same  be- 
soming, elongated  to  the  northward.  But  these 
bays  are  slowly  undergoing  great  alterations.  An- 
gras  J untas  is  already  completely  filled  up,  though 
the  Portuguese  still  note  it  as  a place  of  good  an- 
chorage. Sandwich  Harbor  is  also  wonderfully 
changed;  while,  with  respect  to  Walwich  Bay,  its 
peninsular  form  and  its  southern  part,  as  surveyed 
by  Owen  in  1826,  are  quite  transformed.  The  lat- 
ter, entirely  filled  in,  has  become  a series  of  shoals 
that  at  low  water  are  now  dry,  while  Pelican  Point 
has  extended  to  the  north,  and  is  still  extending 
farther  in  the  same  direction.  Owen  lays  down 
deep  water  off  this  point,  whereas  there  is  now 
there  but  fifteen  feet  of  water  at  most,  hardly  cov- 
ering the  break.  Great  Fish  Bay  has  also  under- 
gone similar  changes.  Its  southern  extremity  has 
evidently  been  blocked  up,  and  many  small  bays 
are  in  this  manner,  from  year  to  year,  appearing 
and  again  disappearing  along  the  coast.” 

From  Great  Fish  Bay  Captain  Messum  made  an 
excursion  inland,  which  he  thus  describes : 

“ Starting  from  the  head  of  the  bay,  we  traveled 
about  ten  miles  E.S.E.  over  immense  sand-hills 
and  curiously  formed  ravines,  when  we  came  sud- 
denly upon  a native  village,  consisting  of  about 
fifty  families  of  the  finest-looking  negroes  I ever 


358 


DESCRIPTION  OF  NATIVES. 


saw.  Scarcely  one  of  them  was  under  six  feet  high, 
and  such  open  and  prepossessing  countenances  I 
had  not  before  seen  in  Africa.  The  women,  despite 
their  color,  were  particularly  good-looking,  and, 
moreover,  remarkably  plump  and  well  fed.  Their 
language  sounded  very  much  like  the  Kafir  spoken 
at  Natal ; yet  I do  not  think  they  were  of  the  same 
tribe  as  the  negroes  we  afterward  met  at  Port 
Alexander.  We  saw  among  them  neither  cattle 
nor  goats.  They  seemed  to  live  by  hunting  and 
fishing;  at  least  the  remains  of  numerous  species 
of  bucks  and  zebras,  besides  piles  of  large  mussel- 
shells  and  fish-bones  scattered  about,  appeared  to 
indicate  as  much. 

“During  our  visit  to  these  interesting  natives, 
a tall,  athletic  young  fellow  brought  in  a young 
buck.  The  weapon  by  which  it  had  been  killed, 
the  one  chiefly  used  by  these  wild  huntsmen,  ap- 
pears to  have  been  a very  powerful  bow,  rather 
more  than  six  feet  long;  the  arrows  belonging  to 
it  were  beautifully  made,  and  barbed,  or,  rather,  tip- 
ped with  iron.  The  assegais  with  which  our  new 
acquaintances  were  also  armed  were  similar  to  those 
of  the  Kafirs.  With  respect  to  ornaments,  so  in- 
dispensable to  savages,  the  chief  woman,  or  matron 
of  the  family  we  visited,  wore  in*her  hair  several 
buttons,  and  round  her  neck  a Portuguese  coin  (a 
half  millreis)  and  some  beads.  They  had  all  on 
their  arms  and  ankles  copper  rings,  so  bright,  and 
in  weight  and  color  so  much  resembling  gold,  that, 


GROUP  OP  NATIVES  NEAR  GREAT  FISH  BAY, 


SIMPLICITY  AND  FRIGHT  OF  THE  NATIVES.  361 

until  tried  with  aqua  fortis,  they  could  not  be  dis- 
criminated from  that  valuable  metal.  To  my  sur- 
prise, they  got  their  water  exquisitely  pure,  but  not 
very  abundant,  from  out  a solid  granite  rock.  They 
received  us  at  first  very  timidly,  and  must  have 
been  watching  our  approach  for  some  time,  as  the 
women  and  children  were  all  hidden,  and  the  men 
repeatedly  drew  their  fingers  across  their  windpipes, 
as  if  to  know  whether  we  intended  or  not  to  cut 
their  throats.  Our  guns  especially  frightened  them ; 
they  would  not  touch  any  part  of  them ; we  there- 
fore thought  it  advisable  to  pile  arms  under  a rock. 
After  that  the  women  and  children  gradually  made 
their  appearance.  The  little  ones  would  not  allow 
us  to  touch  them,  but  the  grown  women  soon  gain- 
ed confidence,  and  began  to  examine  our  skins  with 
the  greatest  curiosity.  After  remaining  with  these 
people  about  four  hours,  we  resumed  our  journey 
E.S.E.,  or  in  the  direction  of  a certain  rocky  mount- 
ain four  or  five  miles  ahead  of  us. 

u Although  there  was  not  the  slightest  symptom 
of  vegetation  at  the  village  where  we  had  just  stop- 
ped, we  soon  got  among  stunted  brushwood,  and 
the  footmarks  of  game  at  once  became  abundant. 
We  now  lit  a fire  and  endeavored  to  get  a little 
rest,  yet  had  to  keep  watch,  for  in  all  my  travels, 
before  or  since,  I never  heard  such  doleful  howls  as 
the  hyenas,  who  were  prowling  around  us  from  the 
time  we  commenced  our  bivouac  till  just  before  day- 
break, kept  up  all  night.  The  next  day,  sloping 


362  A GLIMPSE  OF  THE  NOURSE. 

our  course  more  to  the  south  in  order  to  strike  the 
Nourse  River,  the  bush  became  thicker,  and  we  saw 
in  the  distance  numerous  herds  of  springboks  and 
gemsboks,  so  shy,  however,  that  we  could  not  get 
within  range  of’ them.  On  the  evening  of  this 
day  we  reached  the  foot  of  a rather  low  chain  of 
rocky  mountains,  running  N.E.  and  S.W.  Here 
we  found  water,  but  brackish.  On  the  other  side 
of  this  range  we  hoped  to  get  sight  of  the  river. 
By  calculation  we  were  now  about  twenty-five  miles 
from  the  bay. 

“The  next  day,  traveling  onward,  we  made  a 
good  progress,  but  saw  not  so  much  game  as  be- 
fore, and  found  no  water.  The  heat  was  intense. 
We  had  hitherto  had  a fine  refreshing  breeze,  but 
there  was  not  a breath  of  air  now  stirring,  and  the 
sand  was  so  hot  that  it  burnt  our  feet.  Our  sail- 
ors, four  in  number,  began  to  give  in.  However, 
we  continued  to  push  on  for  another  day,  and  to- 
ward evening  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the 
Nourse.  At  the  distance  from  which  we  caught 
sight  of  it,  it  appeared  to  be  a considerable  stream. 
But  we  could  not  get  any  positive  knowledge  on 
this  point,  for,  having  again  failed  in  finding  water 
on  the  road,  and  our  cans  being  nearly  exhaust- 
ed, the  men  refused  to  proceed  farther;  we  were 
obliged,  consequently,  to  retrace  our  steps  without 
delay. 

“In  this  excursion  and  in  subsequent  rambles 
we  met  with  the  same  kind  of  gum-tree  as  we  had 


THE  NAKEDNESS  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 


363 


noticed  at  Ichaboe,  and  with  nara  fruit  in  abund- 
ance.* We  saw  also  the  natives  grind  a small  seed, 
something  like  that  given  to  Canary-birds  (probably 
the  grass-seed  alluded  to  in  a foot-note  in  page  5), 
between  stones,  and  afterward  make  it  into  a paste 
mixed  with  honey.  They  had,  too,  a vegetable  like 
a small  cucumber  in  appearance,  but  not  in  taste. 
The  vessels  in  which  they  carried  their  water,  etc., 
were  made  exactly  like  those  of  the  Zulus  of  Natal, 
but  the  workmanship  of  these  vessels  was  much 
superior  to  that  of  the  Natalists.  We  noticed, 
likewise,  baskets  of  honeycomb  and  innumerable 
bees.  We  did  not  see  a single  tree,  not  even  a 
bush,  above  three  or  four  feet  high.  This  led  me 
to  conjecture  that  the  Nourse  River,  which  brings 
down  the  large  trees  we  saw  on  the  beach,  must 
have  a considerable  course,  winding,  according  to 
our  observation,  to  E.N.E. 

“From  the  time  we  left  the  village  already 
spoken  of  till  we  returned  to  the  vessel  we  did  not 
see  a single  human  being.  We  had  been  absent  ten 
days,  and  during  that  interval  had  probably  walked 
considerably  above  one  hundred  miles,  though,  in  a 
straight  line,  perhaps  not  the  half  of  that  distance. 
Yet  this  is  farther,  I believe,  than  any  white  man 

* In  “ Lake  Ngami”  I have  stated  that  the  nara  was  pretty 
much  confined  to  the  neighborhood  of  Walwich  Bay;  but, 
according  to  Captain  Messum,  it  would  seem  that  it  is  to  be 
found  along  the  west  coast,  though  certainly  not  in  any  great 
abundance. 


364  ANOTHER  EXCURSION  INTO  THE  INTERIOR. 

has  penetrated  in  that  direction — at  least  was  at 
the  time  of  my  incursion. 

u I tried  to  prevail  on  some  of  the  natives  to 
come  on  board  with  me;  they  all  refused  except 
one  young  man,  who  was  willing  enough  had  he 
not  been  held  back  by  his  parents — in  fact,  by  the 
whole  village.  From  this  I conjectured  that  these 
people  had  heard  of,  or  perhaps  had  some  experi- 
ence in,  the  Portuguese  system  of  slave-trading.” 
But  to  proceed.  Captain  Messum  describes  the 
line  of  coast  between  Great  Fish  Bay  and  Port  Al- 
exander as  so  free  from  danger  as  to  allow  a vessel 
to  approach  it  within  half  a mile.  One  small  in- 
dentation is  alone  to  be  found  between  the  places 
just  named.  A river,  however  (Bembarougi),  of 
which  the  captain  could  find  no  trace,  is  laid  down 
here  in  some  maps.  He  is  inclined  to  believe,  nev- 
ertheless, from  observing  a good  deal  of  vegetation 
scattered  about  in  a ravine,  that  a water-course  may 
at  times  run  through  the  country. 

On  arriving  at  Port  Alexander,  this  persevering 
navigator  again  made  an  excursion  into  the  inte- 
rior, the  result  of  which  he  thus  briefly  relates : 

4 4 Having  anchored  late  in  the  afternoon,  we  did 
not  land  till  the  following  morning.  During  the 
night  the  natives  had  evidently  been  reconnoitring 
the  vessel ; of  this  fact  their  numerous  footprints 
in  the  sand  left  no  doubt.  We  did  not  suffer 
them,  however,  to  delay  us,  but  started  immediate- 
ly in  a northern  direction.  We  had  not  journeyed 


VILLAGES. 


365 


tar  when  we  came  upon  a party  of  fishermen  pad- 
dling about  near  the  shore.  This  was  the  first 
time,  from  Port  Natal  completely  round  Southern 
Africa,  that  we  had  seen  the  natives  attempting  any 
thing  like  navigation.  The  craft  in  which  they  were 
now  embarked  (catamarans)  consisted  of  pieces  of 
wood  fastened  together,  about  six  feet  broad  and 
twelve  long.  We  distributed  some  snuff  among 
them,  gave  them  a whiff  or  two  from  our  pipes, 
and  they  provided  us  with  two  young  fellows  to 
act  as  guides. 

“ Passing  over  the  bluff  which  forms  the  eastern 
head  of  the  bay,  we  arrived  at  the  dry  bed  of  the 
River  Flamingos,  and,  ascending  its  course  about 
five  miles,  came  to  a native  village.  Here  I was 
delighted  at  finding,  for  the  first  time  since  I had 
left  the  Cape,  something  like  real  vegetation.  The 
natives  of  this  place  cultivated  gardens,  which  pro- 
duced maize,  calabashes,  pumpkins,  etc.  We  saw, 
likewise,  frequent  herds  of  cattle,  looking  in  excel- 
lent condition;  and  the  farther  we  proceeded  up 
the  exhausted  water-course,  the  more  numerous  the 
villages  became.  The  huts  of  which  they  consisted 
seemed  built,  too,  for  permanence,  and  were  very 
comfortable  dwellings.  It  was  pleasant,  after  toil- 
ing through  so  much  sand,  to  sit  down  at  last  un- 
der the  refreshing  shade  of  the  palm-tree.  We  re- 
mained three  days  in  this  locality,  in  order  to  enjoy 
ourselves  and  to  take  notes  of  every  thing  note- 
worthy. 


366  TIMIDITY  AND  ASTONISHMENT  OP  THE  NATIVES. 

u Besides  large  herds  of  cattle,  the  natives  here 
possessed  elephant  and  hippopotami  ivory,  whence 
obtained  I could  not  ascertain.  I saw  also  knob- 
kieries,  made  from  rhinoceroses’  horn,  and  honey 
and  beeswax  in  great  abundance. 

“It  was  evident,  however,  that  we  had  not  the 
confidence  of  the  poor  savages;  they  approached 
us  with  the  greatest  timidity,  and  would  not  allow 
their  women  and  children  to  come  near  us.  On  one 
occasion,  when  we  were  examining  some  cattle,  the 
herd  were  driven  away  in  great  haste.  They  would 
not  let  us  either  sleep  in  their  huts;  we  had  to 
4 bunk’  it  out  on  the  sand,  while  they  kept  an  anx- 
ious watch  over  us  all  night.  They  gave  us,  never- 
theless, all  we  wanted,  and  asked  for  no  payment. 
We  feasted  at  their  expense  sumptuously  on  milk, 
maize,  and  4 balls’  of  unknown  ingredients,  com- 
pounded with  honey.  We  gained,  however,  in  some 
degree,  the  confidence  of  our  guides,  who  consented 
to  come  on  board  with  us.  Great  was  their  sur- 
prise when  there  at  seeing  their  faces  reflected  in  a 
looking-glass ; and  the  cat  coming  into  the  cabin 
sent  them  on  deck  precipitately.  They  asked  for 
agnadente,  but,  after  tasting,  would  not  drink  it. 
They  often  made  motions,  indicating  their  fear  that 
we  were  going  to  cut  their  throats  and  eat  them ; 
while  the  knives  laid  out  for  dinner  made  them 
tremble  so  much  that  I had  to  remove  these  suspi- 
cious-looking implements  from  the  table.  They 
would  not  sleep  below,  but  remained  awake  on  deck 


FOSSIL  SHELLS. 


367 


all  night.  In  the  morning  we  sent  the  poor  crea- 
tures away,  rigged  out  in  shirt  and  trowsers,  with 
other  presents  too,  to  them  of  inestimable  value. 
We  gave  them  also  some  copper  pieces,  with  the 
name  of  the  vessel  and  the  date  of  our  visit  stamp- 
ed on  them.  They  had  never  before,  I suspect,  been 
so  courteously  treated  by  white  men. 

“On  the  northern  side  of  the  Biver  Flamingos, 
on  the  summit  of  a high  table-land  of  about  from 
500  to  600  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  I gath- 
ered some  beautiful  fossils,  exactly,  to  all  appear- 
ance, in  the  same  state  as  when  they  were  original- 
ly submerged;  that  is,  the  different  strata  in  which 
they  were  imbedded  seemed  to  have  just  arisen  out 
of  the  ocean.  A very  fine  collection  of  these  fossils 
was  afterward  lost  with  the  vessel;  but  Mr. Wil- 
son, of  Cape  Town,  is  still  in  possession  of  some 
given  him  by  me.” 

Captain  Messum’s  exploration  of  the  coast  ex- 
tended as  far  as  Benguela ; to  follow  him  farther, 
however,  would  be  to  transgress  the  limits  of  this 
work.  The  gallant  captain  thus  sums  up  the  re- 
sult of  his  voyage : 

“I  had  now  examined  well-nigh  every  part  of 
the  coast,  every  islet,  every  creek,  from  Walwich 
Bay  to  Benguela,  and  had  not  found  what  I was  in 
search  of,  namely,  guano,  or  nitrate  of  soda.  Peli- 
can Point  seems  to  be  the  extreme  northern  haunt 
of  the  penguin  (the  principal  depositor  of  guano), 
the  gannet,  and  the  shag;  but  Hollam’s  Bird  Isle 


368  FLAMINGOES. PELICANS. PORT  ALEXANDER. 

is  the  chief  rookery,  toward  the  north,  of  these 
birds.  Round  the  different  bays,  it  is  true,  there 
were  numerous  flamingoes  and  pelicans,  but  these 
wild  fowls,  we  know,  never  congregate  in  sufficient 
numbers  to  form  large  deposits. 

“I  do  not  say  that  nitrate  of  soda  does  not  exist 
in  this  region,  but  only  that  I did  not  find  any, 
though  I traversed  salt  plains,  not  a few  of  many 
miles  in  extent.  Words  can  hardly  describe  the 
suffering  such  traveling  occasions.  Every  step  one 
takes  plunges  one  ankle-deep  into  a saline  crust  of 
several  inches  in  depth ; then  the  tropical  sun, 
without  a cloud,  blazing  on  the  white  surface  of  the 
salt  plain — how  painful  to  the  eyes ! Imagine,  far- 
ther, an  atmosphere  broiling  hot,  the  thermometer 
standing  frequently  at  100°  to  110°,  and  even  120°. 
Add  to  this  a burden  of  provisions  and  ammuni- 
tion, forty  or  fifty  pounds1  weight,  carried  by  each 
man,  and  you  may  understand  the  truth  of  the  say- 
ing, that,  to  travel  in  Africa,  one  should  have  the 
endurance  of  a camel  and  the  courage  of  a lion.11 

In  concluding  his  remarks  on  the  west  coast, 
Captain  Messum  thus  writes : 

“If  asked  my  opinion  as  to  the  best  landing- 
place  for  a start  on  an  exploring  expedition  into 
the  interior,  I should  have  no  hesitation  in  saying 
at  once  Port  Alexander;  albeit  the  Portuguese 
here  are,  I shrewdly  suspect,  trying  on  the  slave- 
trade,  which  they  can  do  with  all  the  greater  facil- 
ity as  the  very  existence  of  the  port  is  unknown  to 


CAPE  FRIO. 


369 


the  inhabitants  of  Messambedos  (Little  Fish  Bay), 
in  the  neighborhood.  There  has  been  much  talk, 
too,  about  establishing  a factory  here ; yet,  when  I 
spoke  to  the  Portuguese  governor  on  the  subject, 
he  told  me  he  should  discountenance  any  such  proj- 
ect unless  it  had  the  sanction  of  his  government. 

The  Portuguese  settlements  extend  on  this  coast 
to  the  south  as  far  as  Cape  Negro,  on  the  southern 
side  of  the  Piver  Flamingos. 

Annoyances  from  these  settlements  might,  it  is 
true,  deduct  a good  deal  from  the  advantages  Port 
Alexander  would  otherwise  otfer.  If  so,  I should 
then  recommend  Cape  Frio,  or  some  spot  a little 
south  of  it.  Natives  of  a very  docile  character  are 
permanently  settled  in  this  place,  and  a little  kind- 
ness could  not  fail  to  gain  their  confidence.  Bide 
and  pack  oxen,  too,  may  be  obtained  there,  while 
water  is  abundant,  and  the  country  to  all  appear- 
ance accessible. 

Could,  indeed,  any  harbor  be  found  between  the 
21°  and  20°  397  S.  parallels  of  S.  lat.,  the  situation 
of  Cape  Frio  would  combine  all  advantages — a cen- 
tral position,  native  inhabitants,  and  security  against 
all  interference  on  the  part  of  the  Portuguese. 

The  Nourse  Piver  is  no  doubt  also  a promising 
point  for  explorers  to  commence  operations.  I am 
strongly  of  opinion  that  a fair  landing  is  to  be 
found  close  to  its  mouth ; and,  should  the  stream 
be  at  all  navigable,  even  of  ever  so  light  a draught, 
how  easy  access  to  the  interior  would  be! 

A A 


370 


DESOLATION  OF  THE  COAST. 


With  a few  general  remarks,  more  or  less  appli- 
cable to  the  whole  shore-line,  I shall  now  conclude 
my  description  of  the  west  coast  of  Africa. 

This  extensive  coast  is  singularly  deficient  in 
navigable  rivers,  sheltered  bays,  and  safe  harbors. 
Many,  indeed,  of  the  rivers  so  called,  which  inter- 
sect it,  are  merely  periodical  torrents,  having,  dur- 
ing the  rainy  season,  strong  rapid  currents,  but 
leaving,  on  the  approach  of  summer,  their  deep 
sunken  beds  almost  completely  dry.  The  rivulets, 
too,  supplied  by  the  mountain  springs,  scarcely 
escape  from  their  lofty  sources  ere  they  are  either 
absorbed  by  the  thirsty  earth,  or  evaporated  by  the 
heated  air.  Even  the  permanent  rivers,  some  of 
which  contain  sufficient  water  for  the  navigation 
of  small  craft  for  several  miles  up  the  country,  are 
all,  more  or  less,  rendered  inaccessible  by  bars  across 
their  mouths. 

The  whole  littoral  portion  of  Southern  Africa, 
from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  to  Walwich  Bay, 
presents  one  wearisome  picture  of  bleak,  barren 
rocks  or  arid  sand-hills.  Vegetation  is  everywhere 
extremely  scanty;  here  and  there  may  be  seen  a 
few  stunted  bushes,  about  two  feet  high,  a few  ge- 
raniums, and  one  or  two  kinds  of  gum  plants,  all 
of  a sickly,  grayish-green  color ; add  a few  species 
of  wiry  grasses  growing  among  the  sand,  and  you 
have  the  whole  vegetable  product  of  this  coast. 
The  desolation  of  the  scene  is  completed  by  a tur- 
bulent surf  beating  against  the  shore  with  a terri- 
bly monotonous  constancy. 


THE  PREVAILING-  WINDS. 


371 


The  prevailing  winds  at  the  Cape  are  S.E.  and 
N.W. ; the  latter  blows  in  hurricanes,  and  general- 
ly brings  on  foul  weather.  The  other  wind,  which, 
from  the  peculiar  formation  of  the  mountains  on 
either  side  of  the  so-called  Cape  flats,  rushes  through 
from  the  S.E.,  instantly  takes  the  direction  of  the 
line  of  coast,  but  is  never  met  with  after  passing  a 
little  to  the  northward  of  Table  Bay.  Yet,  as  I 
have  already  said  when  speaking  of  Namaqua 
Land,  this  wind  is  not,  during  the  cold  season,  un- 
common in  the  interior,  and  when  it  does  blow  the 
whole  atmosphere  is  at  once  changed,  the  air  be- 
comes insufferably  hot,  and  respiration  is  so  im- 
peded that  one  pants  instead  of  breathing  freely. 

The  prevailing  local  wind,  extending  from  sixty 
to  two  hundred  miles  from  the  shore,  along  the 
whole  length  of  this  coast,  is  from  S.  by  W.  to 
S.W.  by  S.  Indeed,  the  south  wind,  varying  con- 
siderably, of  course,  in  strength,  blows  for  about 
nine  months  in  the  year.  During  this  time  the  sky 
overhead  is  clear  and  cloudless,  though  the  horizon, 
with  a space  of  from  fifteen  to  twenty  degrees  above 
it,  is  often  enveloped  in  so  deep  a haze  that  the 
land  from  seaward  is  completely  hidden,  and  the 
approach  to  the  coast  thus  rendered  extremely  dif- 
ficult and  dangerous.  The  sound — ay,  even  the 
sight  of  the  surf,  is  generally  the  first  intimation 
seamen  have  of  their  vessel’s  proximity  to  the  land. 
During  the  remaining  three  months  of  the  year  the 
sea  is  often  calm,  or  light  breezes  prevail  from  the 


372 


NIGHT  DEWS  AND  FOGS. 


N.N.W.  These  northerly  winds  are  generally  ac- 
companied by  dense  and  very  damp  fogs. 

In  the  summer  season,  when  the  weather  is  calm 
and  the  sky  without  a cloud,  the  sun  is  very  pow- 
erful ; but,  generally  speaking,  and  more  especially 
during  the  prevalence  of  the  southerly  winds,  the 
temperature  is  very  low.  Thick  woolen  clothing 
is  even  necessary,  for  the  wind  is  at  times  so  keen 
as  to  peel  off  the  skin  of  the  face,  and  to  make  the 
lips  sore.  The  temperature  never  varies  much,  av- 
eraging during  the  year  in  the  shade  50°  to  60°. 

On  all  this  coast  it  rarely  or  never  rains.  The 
dews,  however,  during  the  nights,  are  heavy,  and 
the  thick  fogs  in  the  winter  season  saturate  every 
thing  with  moisture.  After  one  of  these  fogs  wa- 
ter will  frequently  drip  from  the  riggings  of  vessels 
almost  by  pailfuls. 


A CONTRAST. 


373 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

A Contrast. — Discouragement  with  respect  to  Settlement  in 
one  Part  of  Africa  counterbalanced  by  the  Encouragement 
it  meets  with  at  250  miles  from  Table  Bay. — Establishment 
on  the  River  Knysna. — Dangerous  Entrance  to  the  Harbor. 
— A tremendous  Surf. — Perils  incurred  in  getting  into  safe 
Water. — Description. — Fine  Scenery. — A fatal  Act  of  Dar- 
ing.— A noble  and  diversified  Prospect. — Delicious  Climate. 
— Description  of  Landscape. — Salt  Marshes. — Government 
Dock-yard. — A Night  Scene. — European  Visitors. — An 
English  Gentleman-Farmer. — Plattenburg’s  Bay. — Forest 
Scenery. — Birds  of  gorgeous  Plumage  not  Vocalists. — Gen- 
eral Prospects  of  the  Settlement. 

Discouraging  as  the  survey  of  the  S.  W.  coast  of 
Africa,  with  a view  to  the  formation  of  settlements 
in  that  part  of  the  world,  may  appear  in  the  pre- 
ceding chapters,  yet  discouragements  as  great  as 
those  pointed  out  have  been,  in  the  accomplish- 
ment of  a like  object,  already  in  that  country  over- 
come, and  may  be  again.  I allude  particularly  in 
this  remark  to  the  original  Dutch  establishment 
on  the  River  Knysna,  about  two  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  eastward  of  Table  Bay.  This  place,  which 
some  time  ago  attracted  much  attention,  was  visited 
a few  years  back,  merely  as  a traveler,  by  Captain 
W.  ; and  as  the  account  he  gives  of  it  very  much 
resembles  in  some  respects  the  pictures  we  have 


374 


THE  KNYSNA. 


just  sketched,  while  in  others  it  offers  a colnplete 
contrast  to  them — a hopeful  one,  nevertheless — I 
will  conclude  the  coasting  part  of  my  subject  by 
placing  the  captain’s  narrative,  very  slightly  modi- 
fied and  abridged,  before  my  readers.  It  will  be 
pleasant  to  avert  one’s  eyes  for  a while  from  sav- 
age sterility  to  behold  the  desert  ‘ c blossoming  as  a 
rose,”i.  e.j  barbarism  yielding  its  place  to  civiliza- 
tion, though  not,  alas ! by  the  improvement,  but  by 
the  expulsion  or  extinction  of  barbarians. 

u Proceeding,  ” says  our  traveler,  u from  Port  Eliz- 
abeth (Algoa  Bay)  to  Cape  Town,  we  had  occasion 
to  touch  at  the  Knysna.  After  beating  on  and  off 
for  nearly  a week  to  discover  the  entrance,  we  at 
length  perceived  the  pilot’s  signal,  which  was  any 
thing  but  favorable  to  our  enterprise.  We  had 
been  previously  informed  that  it  was  customary  to 
hoist  a red  flag  upon  the  pilot’s  tower,  which  is 
erected  on  the  east  cliff  at  this  notable  entrance,  at 
periods  of  danger ; and  lo ! the  discouraging  sig- 
nal; but,  notwithstanding  this  serious  obstacle  to 
our  wishes,  we  had  the  temerity  to  risk  all  hazards, 
and  to  steer  direct  to  port.  Our  captain  was  doubt- 
less an  excellent  seaman,  and  we  fully  confided  in 
his  skill ; he  pleaded  the  hour  of  the  day  and  a fair 
wind,  which  was  most  essential,  in  order  to  justify 
his  neglect  of  the  pilot’s  signal.  We  neared,  there- 
fore, the  coast,  and  it  became  evident  that  the  en- 
trance was  rather  narrow — in  truth,  a mere  rent  in 
the  cliff,  effected  by  some  sudden  convulsion  and 


COAST. SEA  SCENERY. 


375 


subsidence  of  the  intermediate  rocks ; but  of  this  I 
could  obtain  no  information,  as  there  is  no  existing 
record  of  the  catastrophe.  Our  attention  was  ar- 
rested by  a glimpse  of  the  picturesque  interior; 
and,  nothing  daunted  from  the  confidence  which  we 
derived  from  the  calm  bearing  of  the  crew,  I de- 
voted myself  to  making  a drawing  of  the  object  be- 
fore me — the  entrance  of  the  Knysna,  with  mount- 
ain scenery  in  the  background.  It  was  impossible 
to  look  around  without  feelings  of  awe  and  ad- 
miration; the  whole  line  of  coast  eastward  and 
westward  was  literally  fringed  with  huge  broken 
masses  of  rock,  over  which  was  breaking  a tre- 
mendous spray.  We  could  descry  a species  of 
4Scylla  and  Charybdis,’  on  either  side  whirling 
and  bellowing  with  convulsive  shocks ; now  emerg- 
ing from  the  foam,  and  presenting  a bare,  black, 
broken  surface,  which  fancy  might  depict  a many- 
headed hydra  form ; then,  drinking  up  the  coming 
sea,  it  would  vomit  forth  the  frothy  spume  into 
a thousand  fantastical  cascades,  shedding  the  pris- 
matic colors  of  the  iris.  4 If  the  wind  slackened 
now,  ’ said  the  captain,  4 we  should  fall  an  easy  prey 
to  one  or  other  of  these  monsters.’  A heavy  swell 
of  the  sea  appeared  now  to  raise  us  nearly  perpen- 
dicular, and  suddenly  precipitated  us  forward  with 
fearful  velocity  to  the  critical  point  of  the  naviga- 
tion. Every  thing  previously  had  appeared  to  har- 
monize with  our  wishes.  4 Steady ! ’ was  the  word, 
and  4 port ! port ! 1 oft  repeated.  At  length  the  cap- 


376 


DANGERS  OE  ENTERING  THE  HARBOR. 


tain  took  the  helm  ; all  the  hands  were  in  a bustle, 
and  looked  anxious.  ‘ Now,  my  lads,  hold  on, 1 was 
loudly  vociferated;  the  vessel  trembled  under  our 
feet.  I looked  anxiously  abaft ; a sudden  shock 
threw  most  of  us  along  the  deck,  when  I beheld 
with  terror  an  appalling  sea  spreading  the  whole 
length  of  this  celebrated  entrance,  full  half  a mile, 
now  lifting  up  its  head  close  to  our  stern,  and 
mantling  with  rage  that  we  had  escaped,  and  be- 
ginning to  curl  upon  us  its  mighty  volume,  as  if  it 
would  ingulf  the  vessel.  A momentary  thrill  of 
horror  seemed  to  paralyze  all  on  board;  we  felt 
the  final  shock  of  its  rage  in  safety ; it  fell  power- 
less in  our  rear,  and  with  one  deep,  long  sweep,  at 
least  a quarter  of  a mile,  which  seemed  to  reach 
the  very  bottom,  propelled  us  securely  over  the 
bar.  ‘All’s  well!  Steady,  my  lads ! port!  port!' 
was  hastily  said  as  we  dashed  into  the  rapids  of 
conflicting  currents,  occasioned  by  the  tide  now  set- 
tling outward  with  race-horse  speed  through  the 
contracted  passage.  Being  fairly  entered,  we  per- 
ceived the  pilot  anxiously  awaiting  us,  and  motion- 
ing with  his  flag,  endeavoring  to  direct  us  through 
the  intricacies  of  this  mazy  and  eddying  gorge. 
This  we  effected  with  admirable  precision,  and 
swiftly  passing  on  to  a considerable  distance,  we 
at  once  glided  into  a smooth,  tranquil,  mirror-like 
basin,  aptly  and  comprehensively  termed  the  sail- 
or’s ‘Feather-bed  Bay.’  In  our  precipitate  pas- 
sage, every  object  appeared  ‘magically’  to  run  past 


WASHED  OVERBOARD  AND  ON  BOARD.  377 

us,  as  we  almost  brushed  the  branches  of  the  flow- 
ing foliage  of  this  delightful  fairy  region. 

“We  had  leisure  now  to  look  about  us,  and  to 
reflect  upon  the  dangers  we  had  so  suddenly  and 
recently  passed.  At  this  moment  the  pilot  board- 
ed us,  and  angrily  remonstrated  with  the  captain 
for  his  folly  and  temerity  in  disregarding  his  sig- 
nal of  dangerous ; adding,  ‘You  have  risked  the 
lives  of  your  passengers  as  well  as  the  property  of 
the  owners ; but  I suppose  you  are  pretty  highly 
insured!1  Assuredly,  if  the  last  sea  had  broken 
upon  the  vessel,  she  might  have  foundered  at  once, 
or,  at  any  rate,  have  swept  us  all  overboard.  We 
shuddered  at  the  incautious  manner  in  which  we 
had  been  left  to  our  own  discretion ; we  ought  to 
have  been  lashed  to  the  bulkheads  for  security. 
The  pilot  added  that  he  had  nearly  lost  four  of  his 
best  hands  (those  who  now  manned  his  boat)  by 
similar  daring.  They  had  shipped  a sea  upon  the 
bar,  and  were  clean  precipitated  into  the  eddy, 
when,  fortunately  for  them,  another  sea  safely  lodg- 
ed them  all  on  deck  again ; a fact  which  the  men 
themselves  afterward  confirmed  to  us.  The  cap- 
tain, to  justify  himself,  said  that,  perceiving  our 
self-possession,  he  was  fearful  of  unnerving  us  by 
too  much  parade  of  caution,  although  he  well  knew 
we  were  likely  to  get  a ducking ; and,  truly  enough, 
the  last  fearful  breaker  had  given  us  ample  proof 
of  his  discernment  by  a most  copious  shower  of 
spray,  which  drenched  us  to  the  skin.  It  is  not 


378 


A FATAL  EXPERIMENT. 


unusual,  in  such  dangerous  and  critical  moments, 
for  seamen  to  affect  show  of  hardihood  and  misap- 
plied courage.  We  were  informed  that  a short 
time  after  the  pilot  had  been  appointed  to  this  sta- 
tion, three  or  four  persons  connected  with  the  naval 
establishment  determined  to  try  their  powers  in 
stemming  the  current  without  the  bar,  when  the 
tide  was  setting  out  with  all  its  velocity.  They 
had  been  cautioned  not  to  hazard  their  lives  in  such 
a useless  and  foolhardy  experiment ; but,  strong  in 
their  own  opinion,  advice  was  fruitless.  They  man- 
ned their  boat,  and  proceeded  to  the  current,  which 
speedily  put  the  metal  of  these  brave  fellows  to  the 
test,  who,  when  it  was  too  late,  discovered  that  they 
had  been  over -presumptuous.  All  human  effort 
proved  unavailing  and  ineffectual  against  the  po- 
tent stream;  the  conflicting  currents  baffled  their 
endeavors,  and  fear  and  remorse  overwhelmed  them 
in  the  vortex  of  destruction.  Their  distress  was 
but  too  evident ; their  uplifted  hands  spoke  their 
hearts’  grief  and  despair;  they  were  beyond  the 
reach  of  human  aid,  and  their  agonized  screams 
were  mocked  in  the  turmoil  and  unceasing  din  of 
roaring  billows.  The  boat  was  soon  carried  aloft 
amid  the  breakers ; it  soon  after  appeared  at  a con- 
siderable distance  from  the  land,  like  a speck  upon 
the  ocean,  and,  melancholy  to  relate,  these  courage- 
ous and  once  useful  members  of  society  were,  in  the 
prime  of  life,  hurried  away  by  their  precipitate  bra- 
vado into  a lingering  and  horrible  death — carried 


THE  NAVIGATION  OF  THE  KNYSNA  SAFE.  379 

out  to  sea,  without  the  smallest  provision,  and  never 
heard  of  more. 

“But,  notwithstanding  all  that  has  been  said  of 
the  narrow  entrance,  the  iron-bound  coast,  the  rocky 
obstructions,  and  the  mighty  surge  which  beset  this 
river,  there  is  no  doubt  that,  by  duly  attending  to 
the  instructions  and  signals  of  the  pilot,  the  navi- 
gation of  the  Knysna  may  be  as  readily  and  safely 
effected  as  that  of  any  other  barred  river.  A de- 
lightful tranquillity  succeeded  the  excited  feelings 
which  such  perilous  encounters  as  we  had  passed 
through  seldom  fail  to  produce.  We  had  now  a 
noble  and  diversified  prospect  before  us,  and  there- 
fore an  ample  field  for  inquiry  and  contemplation. 
Like  the  still  waters  of  the  Cumberland  lakes,  the 
distant  hills  and  surrounding  woods  gave  deep  in- 
terest to  this  novel  scene;  every  object  before  us 
was  faithfully  reflected  in  the  placid  bosom  of  the 
liquid  mirror,  and  we  continued  to  glide  along  its 
smooth  surface  for  a mile  and  a half,  when  the  rat- 
tling cable  gave  notice  that  we  were  soon  to  be 
transferred  to  terra  firma , a change  to  which  we 
looked  forward  with  considerable  impatience,  and 
which  we  found,  as  soon  as  we  pitched  our  tents  on 
shore,  really  delightful 

“We  will  now  take  a peep  outside : the  delicious 
climate  invites  us  to  enjoy  every  moment  that  re- 
mains of  daylight,  and  we  have  a magnificent  pan- 
orama to  inspect.  Yonder,  to  the  south,  stand  two 
pyramidal  rocks  of  granite,  faithful  sentinels  at  the 


380  the  pilot’s  tower  and  pilot’s  house. 

mouth  of  the  Knysna.  The  westward  heights  are 
fringed  with  splendid  foliage,  descending  to  the  mar- 
gin of  the  stream.  Eastward,  the  pilot’s  tower  be- 
tokens the  care  which  the  Admiralty  takes  in  giv- 
ing security  and  confidence  to  those  who  live  on 
‘the  profound  deep.’  Its  site  is  well  chosen,  upon 
a lofty  promontory,  and  may  be  seen  at  twenty 
miles  distance.  How  highly  picturesque  are  the 
sides  of  its  elevation,  covered  with  every  variety  of 
evergreen  shrubs,  spangled  with  blossoms  of  every 
hue,  and  fragrant  as  beautiful!  Huge  masses  of 
rocks  intersperse  the  shrubbery,  and  these  of  vari- 
ous romantic  shapes,  some  with  well-formed  arches, 
Oriental,  Gothic,  and  Roman  ; others,  deeply  cav- 
erned,  reiterating,  with  thundering  yells,  the  stun- 
ning sound  of  never-ceasing  breakers,  appear  the 
abode  of  the  Furies,  and,  foaming  with  ire,  forbid 
approach  or  investigation. 

“The  pilot’s  house,  at  the  foot  of  the  eastern 
heights,  to  which  access  is  given  by  a zigzag  foot- 
path, next  commands  attention.  Its  position  is 
pretty  well  sheltered,  having  a ‘stoop’  before  it, 
i.  6.,  a raised  terrace-walk,  that  affords  a pleasant 
lounge  for  the  enjoyment  of  a cigar.  Adjoining  is 
a boat-house  and  sheds,  well  supplied  with  grap- 
pling-irons, cordage,  spars,  and  fishing-tackle.  But 
what  is  that  great  bulk  which  encumbers  the  view 
in  front  of  the  dwelling?  Alas!  the  remains  of 
the  first  vessel  that  dared  encounter  this  navigation 
— the  ‘Emu.’  The  Emu  rocks  were  pointed  out  to 


SALT  MARSHES. 


381 


us  just  as  we  entered,  juttting  into  the  channel, 
nearly  under  the  pilot’s  tower.  To  avoid  these 
wreckers  large  posts  are  fixed  upon  the  heights 
above,  which  mark  the  proper  bearing  to  escape  all 
danger,  so  that  what  was  once  truly  difficult  and 
hazardous  is  now  rendered  easily  accessible  and  per- 
fectly free  from  danger. 

“The  salt  marshes  which  form  the  great  basin 
are  altogether  very  extensive,  and  cover  many  thou- 
sand acres.  They  are  occasionally  flooded,  and  then 
we  have  a noble  expanse  of  inland  water,  as  fine 
as  any  of  the  most  celebrated  lakes  of  Europe  for 
picturesque  beauty,  though  not,  perhaps,  of  so  great 
extent.  On  the  west  bank  of  the  river  we  perceive 
a farm,  under  Dutch  cultivation,  the  possession  of 
Mynheer  Barret,  whose  flocks  and  herds  browse  as 
far  as  the  western  cliffs.  On  the  opposite  bank, 
beyond  the  marshes,  is  Milk  Kraal  Farm,  with  the 
modest  but  comfortable  residence  of  George  Bex, 
Esq.,  an  English  gentleman ; and  on  the  north  of 
our  marquee  is  the  government  dock-yard,  with 
sheds,  mould-lofts,  other  buildings,  and  the  resi- 
dence of  the  master-builder. 

“Beyond  these  several  objects  rose  an  undulat- 
ing background,  studded  with  forest-trees,  natural 
plots  of  flowering  shrubs,  an  infinite  variety  of  ever- 
greens, rare  plants,  and  singular-looking  grasses, 
large  plots  of  wild  geraniums,  and  heaths  of  a thou- 
sand species,  winding  round  the  extensive  basin, 
and  traversing  the  banks  of  the  river  far  away,  even 


382 


PICTURESQUE  SCENES. 


to  the  distance  of  the  Uitenbegtta  range  of  mount- 
ains, and  possessing  numerous  localities  of  great 
beauty  and  interest,  which  a transitory  visit  to 
Knysna  could  not  afford  an  opportunity  to  inspect, 
much  less  to  describe  with  justice.  Suffice  it,  there- 
fore, to  say,  that  this  is  the  most  park-like  and 
beautiful  district  which  I have  visited  in  South 
Africa. 

“We  had  lovely  weather,  and  the  soft,  refreshing 
air  whispered  the  near  closing  of  a day  never  to  be 
forgotten.  The  long,  distant  shadows  of  the  hills 
now  approached  us,  and  spread  their  gray  mantle 
over  the  valley ; white  fleecy  vapors  flitted  across 
the  bosoms  of  the  distant  hills,  and  almost  sudden 
night  involved  us  in  darkness.  Pending  our  brief 
daylight,  we  had  the  good  fortune  to  get  our  stores 
and  boxes  on  shore,  while  abundance  of  provisions 
poured  in  upon  us  from  all  quarters.  We  here 
found  every  thing  we  could  wish — wood,  water,  and 
stock  of  various  kinds — so  wonderfully  do  supplies 
generally  exceed  the  demand.  We  had  blazing  fires 
between  the  river  and  our  marquee,  and  they  were 
soon  put  in  request  by  all  our  followers.  The 
glaring  ruddy  light,  and  the  busy  spectacle  of  nu- 
merous persons  quickly  passing  to  and  fro,  was  a 
singular  contrast  to  the  calm  scene  we  had  so  re- 
cently witnessed.  This,  again,  soon  gave  place  to 
silence — all  hands  had  reveled  and  dispersed.  The 
stars  twinkled  in  their  spheres ; the  crickets  and 
the  hosts  of  the  marshes  sent  forth  their  sonorous 


WOLVES  AND  VISITORS. 


383 


and  incessant  din  to  lull  us  into  sleep.  But  soft ! 
we  hear  sounds  which  4 murder  sleep, 1 and  restless- 
ness appears  in  every  animal  around  us.  My  horse 
and  my  goat  had  been  made  fast  near  the  entrance 
of  my  marquee,  and  their  anxiety  and  instinctive 
watchfulness  was  but  too  apparent.  I cautiously 
looked  out,  and  numerous  eyes  glistened  on  every 
side,  while  streams  of  phosphoric  sparks  swept  over 
our  roof  and  almost  brushed  my  face.  These  I 
had  happily  seen  before.  The  little  fire-fly  was  a 
familiar  visitant,  and  harmless;  but  how  shall  I 
secure  my  poor  horse  and  goats  if  they  are  attack- 
ed? thought  I.  There  was  danger  in  the  attempt 
to  save  them.  We  could  form  no  resolution,  and 
therefore,  as  usual  (after  the  precaution  of  increas- 
ing the  number  of  our  lights,  and  making  as  many 
shadows  as  possible),  resigned  ourselves  to  the 
guardianship  of  the  All-merciful  for  the  night. 
Our  rest  was  frequently  disturbed  with  woo — woo 
— woo,  as  the  thousand  wolves  grew  bolder,  and 
my  horse  plunged  so  dreadfully  at  times  that  we 
feared  our  walls  would  give  way.  Daylight,  how- 
ever, and  the  4Yo,  heave  ho!1  of  the  sailors  sent 
these  voracious  neighbors  bootless  home  to  their 
fastnesses. 

44  The  morning  ushered  in  a host  of  visitors  to 
our  marquee  of  every  grade,  chiefly  Dutchmen,  in 
the  hope  of  purchasing  stores.  Fire-arms,  gunpow- 
der, tea,  groceries,  and  hardware  were  chiefly  in  re- 
quest ; but  of  these  I had  previously  disposed  of  all 


384 


A CAVALCADE  OF  LADIES. 


that  I could  spare,  which  caused  great  disappoint- 
ment. All  these  visitors  were  remarkably  frank, 
civil,  and  familiar,  freely  partook  of  our  fare,  and 
politely  praised  every  thing  they  beheld.  But  these 
boors  (improperly  so  called)  were  in  truth  remark- 
ably courteous,  inviting  us  to  their  homes,  and  offer- 
ing to  send  wagons  for  us.  With  these  Mynheers 
it  was  all  ‘moey,’  ‘plenty,’  and  ‘pretty,’  ‘moey 
frow,’  ‘moey  kent,’  ‘moey  picanni’ — ‘plenty  pret- 
ty,’ ‘pretty  fine,’  ‘plenty  funny.’  After  satisfying 
their  curiosity,  they  civilly  withdrew,  apparently 
well  pleased  with  their  reception,  for  they  repeated 
their  visit  every  morning  during  our  stay 

“After  the  departure  of  the  last  visitor  our  at- 
tention was  arrested  by  the  cry  of  ‘ A sail ! a sail ! ’ 
We  hastened  to  an  elevated  spot,  and  had  the  sat- 
isfaction of  seeing  the  ‘ Durham’  enter,  with  a press 
of  sail,  in  capital  style.  She  had  the  tide  in  her 
favor,  and  the  pilot  had  boarded  her  outside  the 
bar,  giving  us  a fine  elucidation  of  the  safe  and 
easy  navigation  of  the  entrance. 

“And  whence  comes  yon  cavalcade  of  white 
mettled  palfreys,  mounted  by  ladies  of  no  common 
bearing,  habited  in  Parisian  costume,  and  attended 
by  servants  carrying  green  gauze  flap-flies  to  catch 
the  papillons  ? A tall,  genteel  young  man  now  di- 
rects his  way  to  us,  bearing  a pretty  native  basket : 
he  will  inform  us.  It  proved  to  be  a basket  of  de- 
licious fruit,  which  the  proprietor  of  the  Milk  Kraal 
Farm  had  kindly  sent  us  by  his  son,  with  an  invi- 


plattenburg’s  bat. 


385 


tation  to  visit  him.  The  gentleman,  after  deliver- 
ing his  message,  rejoined  his  sisters.  It  was  grat- 
ifying to  become  acquainted  with  him,  and  he  was 
afterward  our  frequent  guest  and  companion.  As 
our  sojourn  in  this  blissful  vale  must  necessarily 
be  short,  we  had  determined  to  make  good  use  of 
our  time,  and  I had  arranged  my  plans,  which  I 
carried  the  next  morning  into  execution,  for  a trip 
through  the  forest  to  Plattenburg’s  Bay. 

u The  country  which  on  this  expedition  we  pass- 
ed through  was  every  where  delightful  as  far  as  the 
eye  could  reach ; and  the  deep,  green  woods,  with 
their  fine  umbrageous  foliage,  gave  us  a grateful 
shelter  from  the  heat  of  the  sun,  which,  as  the  day 
advanced,  began  to  be  oppressive.  Nothing  could 
be  more  striking  than  the  stateliness  of  the  trees, 
most  of  which  were  flowering  evergreens,  present- 
ing to  our  view  a great  variety  of  beautiful  pen- 
dent bunches  of  flowers  of  all  colors — blue,  white, 
scarlet,  and  yellow — yielding  at  the  same  time  a 
most  delicate  fragrance,  while  the  ground  beneath 
was  studded  and  enameled  with  a multiplicity  of 
curious  wax-like  little  stars,  daisies,  and  harebells. 
The  road  was  well  defined,  and  nearly  straight  for 
a considerable  distance,  having  very  much  the  ap- 
pearance of  a nobleman’s  park.  It  was  in  this  se- 
cluded spot,  but  a few  years  ago,  that  the  Cafires 
committed  fearful  ravages  and  murders.  After 
passing  through  the  forest  we  soon  obtained  a fine 
view  of  Plattenburg’s  Bay,  which,  being  distant 

Bb 


386 


AN  ENGLISH  FARMER  IN  AFRICA. 


from  Knysna  about  fifteen  miles,  we  reached  in  two 
hours  and  a half.  Here  we  observed  the  extensive 
ruins  of  a considerable  range  of  warehouses,  the 
original  depot  of  the  Dutch  East  India  Company ; 
and  having  made  the  circuit  of  the  bay,  which  has 
a fine  roadstead  for  shipping,  we  retraced  our  road 
home,  which  we  reached  soon  after  sunset,  being 
highly  satisfied  with  our  excursion. 

“We  felt  it  our  duty  to  acknowledge  the  gener- 
ous present  of  George  Rex,  Esq.,  the  gentleman 
who  had  deputed  his  son  to  visit  us,  by  paying  him 
a visit  in  return.  He  is  an  English  farmer  on  a 
large  scale ; his  vineyards,  tobacco-plots,  and  fields 
of  wheat  and  pulse  all  bore  testimony  to  a neat 
and  clean  system  of  agriculture ; in  fact,  the  whole 
establishment  gave  evident  tokens  that  every  thing 
was  under  the  direction  and  guidance  of  an  active 
and  cultivated  mind,  while  his  numerous  family 
spoke  of  a state  of  filial  and  fraternal  affection,  ex- 
cellent social  discipline,  and  refinement  of  manners 
rarely  to  be  met  with  in  places  so  far  removed  from 
the  thoroughfares,  or  even  by-ways  of  civilization. 
We  had  passed  several  very  pleasant  days  in  making 
short  excursions  into  the  neighborhood,  when  the 
skipper  announced  that  he  had  completed  his  car- 
go, and  that  his  intention  was  to  put  to  sea  on  the 
following  morning.  We  therefore  soon  dispatched 
matters  for  striking  our  marquee  and  our  tents, 
which,  with  our  luggage,  were  soon  put  on  board. 
We  embarked  before  sunset  on  Christmas  Eve, 


THE  FIFTY-DOLLAR  BIRD. 


387 


taking  a last  farewell  of  a scene  which  has  left  an 
indelible  impression  on  our  hearts  and  minds.  The 
river,  which  forms  its  chief  feature,  of  great  beauty, 
though  not  of  great  extent,  is  calculated  to  be  of 
vast  importance  to  future  generations  in  a com- 
mercial point  of  view;  it  abounds  with  a great 
variety  of  delicious  fish,  particularly  the  mullet; 
here,  too,  the  paper  nautilus  has  a safe  retreat, 
yielding  specimens  of  the  largest  and  most  beauti- 
ful kind  any  where  to  be  met  with ; nor  can  I for- 
get the  feathered  tribe,  which  impart  additional  in- 
terest to  the  groves.  Without  pretending  to  de- 
scribe the  different  species,  I will  merely  intimate 
that  I have  seen  examples  of  the  most  rare  and  cu- 
rious formation  and  habits,  and  others  of  the  most 
gorgeous  plumage,  but  no  vocalists.  In  this  re- 
spect the  woods  are  mute,  except  from  the  singular 
and  dolorous  bird  which  distinctly  and  continually 
breaks  the  dull  monotony  with  his  loud  cry  of 4 fif- 
ty dollars, 1 and  is  hence  called  the  fifty-dollar  bird ! 
With  respect  to  the  wild  animals,  and  multitudes 
of  pernicious  reptiles,  they  are  known  to  swarm  in 
South  Africa,  and  require  no  place  in  this  brief 


memoir. 


388 


THE  GUANO  TRADE. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

The  Guano  Trade. — When  Guano  was  first  used  in  Agricul- 
ture.— Its  Discovery  in  Africa. — The  Island  of  Ichaboe : its 
Anchorage ; its  Rollers. — The  Treasures  of  Ichaboe  made 
known  by  Mr.  Livingstone. — First  Attempt  to  reach  the 
Island  a Failure;  a second  succeeds. — Vessels  arrive  in 
Numbers. — Immense  Deposits  of  Guano. — The  Penguin. — 
The  Penguin’s  Lament. — Stages  for  loading  Vessels. — The 
“Flying  Railway.” — Committee  of  Safety. — The  Guano 
Pits. — Squabbles  among  the  Captains  and  others. — The 
Guano  Fever  versified. — The  Island  is  properly  divided. — 
Ichaboe  presents  an  animated  Scene.- — Bad  Doings  on  the 
Island. — Sir  John  Marshall. — The  Guano  Pits  exhausted. — 
Concluding  Remarks. 

In  my  description  of  the  west  coast  of  Africa, 
its  rivers,  harbors,  bays,  etc.,  allusion  has  been  fre- 
quently made  to  guano,  and  to  the  trade  in  that 
article,  carried  on  some  years  ago  on  so  large  a 
scale,  and  even  yet  not  quite  extinct.  Before,  how- 
ever, I speak  of  this  trade,  it  may  be  well  to  say  a 
word  of  the  manure  itself. 

Guano,  or  huano , as  it  is  also  spelt  in  Spanish 
(either  letter  being  used  at  the  discretion  of  the 
writer), is,  it  is  said,  a Spanish  name;  but, whether 
Spanish  or  Peruvian  originally,  it  is  now,  by  adop- 
tion, a good  English  word. 

As  a manure,  this  ordure  has  been  known  and 
used  in  Peru  from  the  date  of  the  earliest  records 


GUANO. 


389 


of  that  country — long  prior,  it  may  be  presumed, 
to  any  written  history ; and  so  highly  was  it  es- 
teemed in  ancient  times  that  an  old  Peruvian  law 
made  its  removal  from  the  coast,  or  the  destruction 
of  its  depositors,  without  authority,  a crime  pun- 
ishable by  death.  Having  then  been  known  and 
appreciated  so  long,  it  may  seem  strange  that  it 
was  only  yesterday  we  heard  any  thing  about  its 
agricultural  virtues  in  Europe.  The  exclusiveness 
of  the  Spanish  government,  while  that  power  was 
ascendant  in  South  America,  and  the  frequent  rev- 
olutions— almost  prohibitive  of  commerce  — to 
which  it  has  since  been  exposed,  may  partly,  per- 
haps, account  for  this.  However  that  may  be,  it 
is  certain  that  the  credit  of  the  first  introduction 
of  guano  into  England  is  due  to  a French  gentle- 
man named  Baopoillet,  and  to  Mr.  Bland,  a partner 
in  the  firm  of  Meyers,  Bland,  and  Co.,  of  Valparaiso. 
These  gentlemen  sent  several  cargoes  of  this  ma- 
nure to  England  in  1839  and  1840.  They  had  at 
first  much  difficulty  in  overcoming  the  prejudices 
of  agriculturists  against  any  thing  new.  The  in- 
trinsic value,  nevertheless,  of  the  importation  soon 
overcame  all  opposition ; and  shortly  after,  an  En- 
glish mercantile  house,  in  connection  with  the  gen- 
tleman just  named,  obtained  the  exclusive  privilege 
of  shipping  the  precious  ordure  from  the  coast  of 
Peru  and  Bolivia— a reward  well  merited  by  the 
enterprising  perseverance  of  Messrs.  Baopoillet  and 
Bland. 


390 


ICHABOE  AN  EL  DORADO. 


British  agriculturists  and  others  becoming  speed- 
ily acquainted  with  the  admirable  properties  of 
guano,  the  monopolized  supplies  of  this  valuable 
article  obtained  from  the  South  Pacific  Ocean  were 
soon  found  to  be  insufficient,  and  the  world  was 
ransacked,  so  to  speak,  in  search  of  other  deposits. 
The  islands  off  the  western  coast  of  Africa,  hitherto 
all  but  unknown  (except  to  the  whaler  and  the  seal- 
fisher),  were  particularly  visited  with  this  object  in 
view,  and  fortunately  not  in  vain. 

The  discovery  of  guano  on  this  coast,  just  then  a 
most  timely  one,  created,  when  first  known,  from 
the  many  commercial  resources  it  offered,  quite  a 
sensation  in  England.  It  opened  to  our  agricul- 
turists a sure  means  of  relief  from  circumstances 
which  had  depressed  them  to  the  lowest  point,  and 
gave,  at  the  same  time,  an  impetus  to  our  mercan- 
tile marine,  never  before  reduced  to  so  lamentable 
a state  of  stagnation  as  at  that  period.  A vast 
number  of  vessels  now  found  employment  in  the 
guano  trade,  and  freightage  all  over  the  world  was 
thereby  greatly  improved. 

At  first,  it  is  true,  mercantile  men  were  slow  to 
credit  the  good  news ; but  after  a while  their  doubts 
disappeared,  and  whole  fleets,  instead  of  single  ves- 
sels as  at  first,  were  dispatched  to  the  land  of  prom- 
ise. Many  individuals,  possessed  with  the  convic- 
tion that  Ichaboe  would  prove  a second  El  Dorado, 
embarked  the  whole  of  their  fortunes  in  one  venture 
to  that  island.  Some  of  them  certainly  acquired 


NO  HARBOR.  391 

great  wealth,  but  others,  it  is  to  be  feared,  suffered 
very  heavy  losses. 

Though  guano  was  imported  from  several  of  the 
rocky  islets  bordering  on  the  western  coast  of  South 
Africa — namely,  from  those  at  the  mouth  of  Angra 
Pequena  harbor,  from  Mercury,  Hollam’s  Bird,  etc. 
— it  was  chiefly  from  Ichaboe,  situated  in  lat.  26° 
18'  S.,  and  long.  14°  587  E.,  that  the  bulk  of  this 
valuable  deposit  was  obtained ; and  it  is  therefore 
more  especially  of  the  guano  trade  in  that  island 
that  I am  now  about  to  speak. 

Ichaboe,  a rock  thrown  up,  no  doubt,  by  a vol- 
cano, is  about  three  quarters  of  a mile  in  circum- 
ference, and  at  its  highest  point  not  more  than 
thirty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  It  is  sur- 
Tounded  to  the  N.  and  S.W.  by  outlying  rocks,  ex- 
tending in  some  places  as  far  as  a quarter  of  a mile 
from  the  shore,  and  is  distant  three  quarters  of  a 
mile  or  so  from  the  opposite  main  land,  that  is, 
five  miles  or  thereabouts  from  the  outer  part  of  a 
dangerous  reef,  off  a tongue  of  land  to  the  S.E.  of 
the  island.  This  reef,  many  parts  of  which  are 
under  water,  and  not  to  be  discerned  when  the  sea 
is  smooth,  is  very  extensive  and  very  dangerous. 
There  is,  it  is  true,  a narrow  channel  through  it, 
but  it  is  an  extremely  perilous  one,  never  resorted 
to,  except  from  necessity,  by  vessels  unacquainted 
with  the  safer  passage. 

Ichaboe  has  no  harbor  whatever;  even  the  an- 
chorage, embracing  the  whole  sjDace  between  the 


392 


DANGEROUS  ANCHORAGE. 


island  and  the  main  land,  is  greatly  exposed.  The 
depth  of  its  water  varies  from  three  to  nine  fath- 
oms, and  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  sea  at  spring  tides 
is  not  above  six  feet.  The  bottom  is  throughout 
rocky,  uneven,  and  covered  with  kelp.  The  hold- 
ing for  anchors  is  therefore  decidedly  bad ; two,  in- 
deed, are  generally  required,  with  an  ample  scope 
of  chain  to  enable  vessels  to  ride  with  any  thing 
like  safety  in  strong  southerly  winds.  This  extra 
length  of  chain  often  caused  serious  damage  to  the 
guano  fleets,  more  especially  at  a sudden  shift  of 
wind.  The  vessels  would  then  swing  round,  and, 
before  the  chains  could  be  hoved  in,  or  the  ropes 
got  out  to  steady  them,  would  dash  against  each 
other,  and,  being  pitched  about  by  a constant  heavy 
swell,  do  one  another  much  injury.  On  one  night, 
for  instance,  in  the  month  of  October,  1844,  four- 
teen vessels,  from  the  cause  I have  just  mentioned, 
lost  bowsprits,  one  or  two  became  partially  dis- 
masted, and  two  were  so  much  damaged  that  they 
were  condemned  immediately  afterward  as  unsea- 
worthy. A very  great  number  of  anchors  and 
chains,  moreover,  have,  from  their  forelocks  and 
pins  coming  out  of  them,  been  lost  at  various  times 
off  Ichaboe.  This  has  been  by  some  attributed  to 
a peculiarity  in  the  water,  causing  oxydation  in  an 
extraordinary  degree,  and  so  loosening  the  jointures 
and  fastenings  of  iron-work.  It  is,  however,  much 
more  probable  that  the  losses  I allude  to  were  oc- 
casioned by  the  forelocks  breaking,  or  the  pins 


ROLLERS. 


393 


working  out,  from  the  constant  friction  of  the 
chains  against  a rocky  sea  bottom.  There  was 
no  instance,  nevertheless,  of  a chain  becoming  un- 
shackled when  its  pins  were  made  of  wood,  well 
and  carefully  driven  in. 

The  proper  entrance  to  Ichaboe  anchorage  is 
from  the  southward,  where  there  is  plenty  of  water, 
and  the  channel  is  wide  and  safe.  The  opposite 
entrance  is,  on  the  contrary,  very  narrow,  and  the 
water  insufficient  for  any  deeply-laden  craft.  Many 
ships  have  struck  in  going  out ; and  all  over  the 
northern  part  of  the  anchorage  rocks  have  been  dis- 
covered by  vessels  unexpectedly  striking  on  them. 

To  add  to  the  dangers  and  discomforts  of  a bad 
anchorage,  the  enormous  rollers,  so  often  described 
by  parties  visiting  St.  Helena  and  Ascension  Isl- 
and, are  also  prevalent  here,  and  often  assail  the 
coast  with  great  violence  during  a calm.  “One 
fine  afternoon,  for  instance,  when  the  guano  fleet 
was  lying  at  anchor,  the  water  quite  smooth,  and 
the  boats  busily  loading  at  the  stages,  a heavy  sea 
came  rolling  in,  which  swamped,  in  a few  minutes, 
six  boats,  and  seriously  injured  several  of  their 
crews.  These  rollers,  huge  sea  mountains,  gather- 
ing volume  in  their  advance,  and  tumbling  in,  one 
after  another — their  crests  broken  into  white  foam- 
ing masses  of  water  — formed  an  awfully  grand 
spectacle.  One  might  expect — though  the  cause  of 
the  phenomenon  is  as  yet  quite  unexplained — in- 
cursions from  these  monstrous  columns  of  billows 


394  THE  FIRST  GUANO  EXPEDITION. 

at  any  change  of,  or  at  the  full  of  the  moon,  when, 
sweeping  every  thing  before  them,  they  would,  on 
reaching  the  beach,  expend  their  fury  in  a noise  like 
thunder,  and,  breaking  up,  spread  over  many  a fur- 
long of  sand  and  rock,  out  of  the  reach  of  the  reg- 
ular tides.  These  formidable  rollers  are  always 
heaviest  across  the  northern  entrance  to  the  anchor- 
age, where  the  water  is  shallow.  Many  vessels, 
anchoring  too  much  in  that  direction  within  their 
sweep,  have  been  greatly  damaged ; and  one,  the 
‘Guernsey  Lily,’  was  in  1845,  when  freighted  and 
ready  for  sea,  unfortunately  driven  on  shore.  At 
the  times  when  the  rollers  set  in,  there  is  no  per- 
ceptible change  in  the  barometer,  nor  any  unusual 
appearance  in  the  sky;  the  weather  continues  en- 
tirely the  same  as  before — that  is,  a heavy,  thick, 
and  almost  impervious  haze  hangs  over  the  hori- 
zon, as  it  does  nearly  all  the  year  round.  ” 

The  existence  of  guano  on  the  African  coast  was 
first  brought  to  the  knowledge  of  British  merchants 
and  ship-owners  by  Mr.  Andrew  Livingstone,  of 
Liverpool,  a gentleman  well  known  to  the  nautical 
world.  He  got  all  he  knew  about  Ichaboe  from 
the  work  of  Captain  Morrell,  of  whom  mention  has 
been  already  frequently  made. 

At  first,  however,  Mr.  Livingstone  endeavored  in 
vain  to  get  a well-known  firm  in  Liverpool  to  send 
out  vessels  to  Ichaboe ; they  did  not  even  believe 
in  the  existence  of  the  island ; and  some  consider- 
able time  elapsed  before  other  parties  were  induced 


FIRST  SUCCESS. 


395 


to  send  out  to  that  place  a small  schooner  of  their 
own,  with  two  equally  small  chartered  vessels. 
These  ships  sailed  with  sealed  orders ; one  of  them 
returned  without  attempting  to  find  Ichaboe;  but 
the  schooner  arrived  at  Angra  Pequena,  and  came 
to  an  anchor  in  the  outer  roads.  From  this  point 
she  was  driven  to  sea  by  a strong  S.S.W.  wind,  evi- 
dently in  consequence  of  those  on  board  not  know- 
ing the  anchorage-ground,  though  an  excellent  Ad- 
miralty chart  of  it  exists.  The  vessel  drove  to  lee- 
ward so  far  that,  on  standing  in  to  the  land,  she 
only  fetched  Hottentot  Bay,  at  about  twelve  miles 
to  the  northward  of  Ichaboe.  From  this  bay  the 
master  of  the  schooner  pulled  up  to  Ichaboe  in  a 
small  jolly-boat,  and  succeeded  in  landing  (at  least 
so  says  the  schooner’s  log-book),  though  he  nearly 
knocked  his  boat  to  pieces  in  the  surf.  On  return- 
ing to  the  schooner,  it  was  discovered  that  she  had 
only  thirty  gallons  of  water  on  board,  while  none 
was  to  be  obtained  on  the  coast.  Under  these  cir- 
cumstances, her  skipper  bore  up  for  St.  Helena, 
where,  his  . original  destination  being  entirely  ig- 
nored, the  vessel  was  freighted  for  the  West  Indies. 

Of  the  chartered  brigs  I have  mentioned,  one,  the 
“Ann,  of  Bristol,”  Captain  Farr,  touched  at  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  took  in  water,  and  duly  reach- 
ed Ichaboe,  where  she  remained  during  the  months 
of  March  and  April,  1843.  Having,  however,  no 
materials  on  board  with  which  to  construct  a stage, 
her  lading  proceeded  but  slowly,  and  was  attended 


396 


MORE  VESSELS  ARRIVE. 


with  much  difficulty,  for  it  was  only  on  fine  days 
that  the  boats  could  approach  the  rocks  to  receive 
the  bags  of  guano.  When  about  three  fourths  laden 
the  brig  began  to  drive  before  one  of  the  strong 
southerly  winds  which  prevail  on  the  coast,  and, 
jhaving  parted  his  chains,  Captain  Farr  determined 
to  bear  up  for  England.  Arriving  there  in  safety, 
he  was  sent,  with  a view  to  secrecy,  to  discharge  his 
cargo  at  Dumfries.  The  news,  nevertheless,  soon 
spread,  though  all  possible  means  were  resorted  to 
to  prevent  its  getting  abroad,  and  to  mystify  the 
public.  Captain  Farr  now  made  a fresh  arrange- 
ment with  a house  in  Glasgow ; his  crew  communi- 
cated what  they  knew  to  others,  and  Mr.  Living- 
stone, considering  himself  perfectly  at  liberty  to  do 
so,  gave  all  the  information  he  possessed  on  the 
subject  to  a Liverpool  firm.  It  appears  that  this 
gentleman  had  been  most  unjustly  treated  by  his 
employers  when  in  charge  of  their  vessel,  the  4 ‘Gal- 
lo vidia.”  They  had  refused  to  abide  by  their  orig- 
inal agreement,  which  was  a verbal  one,  and  have 
never  given  to  Mr.  Livingstone,  to  this  day,  the 
slightest  remuneration  for  his  valuable  services. 
Their  speculations  on  the  coast,  however,  have  been 
so  conducted  as  to  bring  upon  them,  to  the  full, 
their  due  reward. 

Toward  the  middle  of  November,  1843,  several 
vessels  arrived  (principally  from  Liverpool  and 
Glasgow)  simultaneously  on  the  African  coast. 
One  of  them  went  by  accident  direct  to  Ichaboe ; 


ISLAND  OP  ICHABOE. 


IMMENSE  DEPOSITS. 


399 


others  to  Possession  Island  and  Angra  Pequena, 
where  guano  was,  it  was  believed,  also  to  be  found.  s 
Very  few  of  the  parties  first  sent  out  were  aware 
of  the  existence  of  Ichaboe.  They  knew  only  of 
the  islands  laid  down  in  the  charts  and  mentioned 
in  books  of  directions.  It  was,  however,  promptly 
brought  to  their  notice,  and  many  who  had  freight- 
ed their  vessels  at  Possession  Island  and  Angra 
Pequena  threw  their  cargo  overboard,  in  order  to 
reload  at  Ichaboe,  where  the  guano  is  superior  in 
quality  to  that  any  where  else  to  be  obtained. 

This  island,  when  first  visited,  was  literally  cover- 
ed with  guano,  immensely  accumulated  toward  the 
north,  but  in  less  dense  heaps  at  its  southern  ex- 
tremity.* In  its  northern  pits,  the  manure  meas- 
ured, when  operations  were  first  commenced,  forty 
feet  in  depth,  and  decreased  gradually  to  about  ten 
feet  at  its  opposite  end.  From  data  which  can 
not  be  very  incorrect,  the  whole  quantity,  varying 
greatly  in  quality,  removed  from  the  islet  was,  at 
the  period  alluded  to,  about  200,000  tons,  the  best 
being  decidedly  obtained  from  the  northern  pits. 
The  N.W.  corner  of  the  rock  contained,  too,  a con- 
siderable quantity  of  the  deposits  of  the  gannet  and 
cormorant,  while  its  southern  end  was  covered  with 
decayed  seals  and  their  droppings.  The  bulk  of 

* The  cause  of  this  is  probably  to  be  found  in  the  fact  that 
the  north  is  the  lee-side  of  the  island,  to  which  the  feathery 
tribes  naturally  retreat  for  shelter  against  the  inclemency  of 
the  weather,  and  the  prevailing  strong  southerly  winds. 


400 


PENGUINS. 


the  guano,  however,  at  least  the  one  half  of  it,  came 
undoubtedly  from  the  penguin,  while  the  remainder 
consisted  chiefly  of  the  dead,  decomposed  bodies  of 
that  bird. 

It  may  be  as  well  here  to  mention,  that  of  the 
200, 000  tons  of  guano  shipped  from  Ichaboe,  only 
eight  small  cargoes  were  carried  off  by  foreign  ves- 
sels ; of  these  eight,  moreover,  only  two  were  ob- 
tained from  the  pits ; the  others,  of  a very  inferior 
quality,  were  picked  up  wherever  they  could  be  got. 

“On  first  landing,  in  November,  1843,  on  the 
island  which  enjoyed  for  a time  so  odorous  a celeb- 
rity,” says  a certain  writer,  “the  place  was  literally 
alive  with  one  mass  of  penguins,  etc.,  which  were 
so  tame,  or,  rather,  so  unaccustomed  to  man’s  ap- 
pearance that  they  would  not  move  without  com- 
pulsion. Thousands  of  the  eggs  of  this  bird,  col- 
lected by  the  sailors,  formed  a savory  addition  to 
their  usual  rations  of  salt  meat.”  They  are  hardly 
fewer  at  present;  for,  notwithstanding  the  num- 
bers of  penguins  shot  every  year,  and  the  enormous 
quantity  of  eggs  and  young  annually  carried  off 
and  destroyed,  these  birds  still  continue  to  resort 
to  their  favorite  haunt  in  almost  undiminished 
multitudes,  while  the  constant  presence  of  man  for 
nearly  a quarter  of  a century  has  not  in  the  least  af- 
fected their  social  habits,  or  diminished  their  fond- 
ness for  their  wild  oceanic  home. 

The  following  lines  from  the  Cape  Press  show 
how  much  this  bird  occupied  the  fancy  or  the 


THE  PENGUIN^  LAMENT. 


401 


fingers  of  Cape  Town  scribes  when  the  guano  fever 
was  at  its  height,  and  conversation  in  every  society 
turned  in  that  settlement  upon  the  all-absorbing 
topic : 

“ One  evening  it  chanced,  as  I strolled  by  the  shore, 

This  saddest  of  ditties  the  cool  night-breeze  bore 

Distinct  o’er  the  surf,  with  its  gruff  sullen  roar : 

“the  penguin’s  lament. 

“ Tormented  for  aye  be  the  pitiless  breast 
That  drove  me  afar  from  my  home, 

A desolate  bird  o’er  the  broad  billow’s  breast, 

In  search  of  a country  to  roam. 

“ Fiends  ever  torture  the  cold,  ruthless  heart 
That  robbed  my  warm  nest  of  its  young, 

And  made  a poor  heart-broken  penguin  depart 
From  the  land  whence  his  forefathers  sprung. 

“ May  Conscience’s  thorns  on  his  death-bed  be  strewn, 
His  friends  in  adversity  flee ; 

Was  Martin’s  Act  made  for  the  jackass  alone? 

Extend  not  its  mercies  to  me  ? 

“ Then  in  Albion,  no  longer  the  land  of  the  just, 

The  penguin’s  lament  shall  be  heard, 

And  those  miserly  wretches  lie  low  in  the  dust 
Who  spared  not  a poor  ocean  bird.” 

None  of  the  vessels,  on  arriving  at  Ichaboe,  were 
on  their  first  voyage  provided  with  materials  for 
erecting  platforms  whereby  to  take  in  their  cargoes 
with  facility ; yet,  as  a heavy  surf  breaks  at  some 
distance  from  the  shore,  stages  or  platforms  of  con- 
siderable length  were  required  for  this  purpose. 
With  a rich  treasure,  however,  before  them,  the 

C c 


402 


STAGES  AND  PLATFORMS. 


energy  and  emulation  of  the  adventurers  soon 
overcame  the  forbidding  difficulties  of  Nature’s  in- 
terposition. Some  clubbed  together  their  spare 
spars,  studding-sail-booms,  top-gallant  and  mizen- 
top-masts,  and,  by  erecting  a stage,  commenced  op- 
erations, while  others,  less  amply  furnished  with 
means,  or  more  enterprising,  constructed  a sort  of 
“flying  railway”  with  fewer  materials,  but  with  an 
equal,  if  not  a greater  amount*  of  labor.  In  pro- 
portion, however,  as  the  difficulties  of  loading  be- 
came known,  and  fresh  vessels  arrived  from  En- 
gland, spars  and  planks  for  staging  were  imported 
in  great  numbers,  and  were,  toward  the  close  of  the 
year  1843,  completely  at  a discount. 

A high  surf,  deep  water,  and  a bottom  entirely 
composed  of  rocks  covered  with  sea-weed  made  the 
difficulty  of  erecting  stages  two  or  three  hundred 
feet  from  the  shore  very  great.  These  stages,  be- 
sides, in  consequence  of  the  irregularities  of  the 
rocky  bottom,  and  the  necessity  of  finding  smooth 
water  for  the  boats  at  their  termination,  could 
never  be  constructed  in  a straight  line.  Those 
first  set  up  were  swept  away  by  the  sea  almost  im- 
mediately, and  more  elaborate  inventions  had  to  be 
resorted  to  to  give  stability  to  the  contrivance. 

For  this  purpose,  a position  being  chosen,  which 
could  only  be  on  the  north  or  east  side  of  the  island, 
a heavy  bower  anchor,  having  a length  or  two  of 
chain  attached  to  it,  to  prevent  its  chafing  against 
the  rocks,  was  laid  down  outside  the  surf ; to  this 


THE  FLYING  RAILWAY. 


403 


chain  was  affixed  a stout  hawser,  secured  at  its  ex- 
tremity to  the  shore,  in  order  to  serve  as  a ridge- 
rope  for  shears,  which  consisted  of  two  spars  lash- 
ed together  and  driven  into  holes  among  the  rocks. 
A tackle  from  the  coast  was  then  made  fast  to  this 
construction ; and  one  pair  of  shears  being  estab- 
lished, the  others,  each  successive  pair  being  well 
fastened  to  the  ridge-rope,  were  got  up  with  less 
difficulty. 

All  the  shears,  amounting  often  to  fourteen  or 
sixteen  pairs,  being  erected,  small  spars  were  lashed 
longitudinally  to  each  of  them  at  about  twelve  feet 
above  the  surface  of  the  water.  Cross  spars  were 
thereupon  well  cleated,  fore  and  aft,  between  the 
shears,  and  upon  these  spars,  planks,  sometimes 
nailed  and  sometimes  lashed,  were  made  fast  and 
steady.  At  the  extremity  of  each  stage  was  slung 
a swinging  platform,  which  could  be  lowered  or 
raised  as  the  rise  or  fall  of  the  tide  might  require. 

The  railway  method  of  taking  in  cargo,  as  it  was 
called,  was  an  imitation  of  the  plan  adopted  for 
lading  ships  freighted  with  salt  at  one  of  the  Cape 
Verde  islands.  To  those  who  had  no  spars  or 
planks  to  form  a stage  it  was  the  only  resource  left, 
and  was  as  follows : 

A spar  or  main-boom,  from  forty  to  fifty  feet 
long,  was,  by  means  of  a pair  of  shears,  erected  on 
the  shore  as  near  the  surf  as  possible,  and  about 
twenty  feet  above  the  water’s  level.  A heavy 
bower  anchor,  with  a chain  attached  to  it,  and  a 


404 


A COMMITTEE  OF  SAFETY. 


stout  hawser  to  that,  was  then  laid  down  outside 
the  surf,  in  thirty  or  forty  fathoms  or  thereabouts. 

A powerful  tackle,  fastened  to  a well-secured  an- 
chor, was  thereupon  lashed  to  the  hawser,  which 
was  carried  on  shore  through  a snatch-block.  This 
hawser  was  now  set  up  quite  taut,  with  a block, 
hook  downward,  at  its  extremity,  to  which  was  at- 
tached a small  line  for  easing  away  and  hauling 
up,  etc.  The  long-boat  being  then  moored  to  the 
hawser  where  it  entered  the  water,  two  or  more 
bags  of  guano  were  either  hoisted  or  heaved  up  to 
the  derrick-head,  where  a man  was  stationed  to 
hook  them  on  to  the  traveling-block.  The  bags, 
having  arrived  safely  so  far,  were  eased  down  the 
first  part  of  the  hawser,  to  prevent  their  acquiring 
too  much  velocity,  and  then,  with  a “let  go,”  reach- 
ed the  boats  conveniently  enough.  Empty  bags, 
stores,  etc.,  were  then  hauled  up,  and  other  full  ' 
bags  sent  down.  Improvements  on  this  plan,  which 
were  certainly  original  and  ingenious,  but  too  te- 
dious and  laborious,  were  attempted,  but  did  not 
succeed. 

The  rapid  increase  and  constant  arrival  of  ves- 
sels occasioning  differences  between  their  captains, 
it  soon  became  evident  that  some  system  of  main- 
taining order  and  a good  understanding  among 
them  must  be  adopted.  A committee  of  shipmas- 
ters and  others  was  therefore  formed,  and  certain 
rules  were  laid  down  which  had  this  object  in  view. 
These  rules  were  strictly  enforced  by  the  command- 


PITS  AND  FREIGHTING-PLACES. 


405 


ers  of  her  majesty’s  ships  of  war,  who  occasionally 
touched  at  Ichaboe ; and  very  severe  police  regu- 
lations, rendered  necessary  by  the  numbers  of  dis- 
solute characters — sailors  as  well  as  laborers — who 
frequented  the  island  were  also  put  rigorously  into 
execution. 

The  guano  to  the  north  of  the  islet  being,  as  I 
have  already  said,  deepest,  driest,  and  best,  and  the 
water  smoother  there  than  at  any  other  part  of  the 
coast,  the  parties  first  arriving  commenced  their 
lading  operations  in  this  quarter.  Without  any 
measurement  or  rule,  they  chose  such  part  of  the 
soil  fronting  them  to  gather  their  spoil  as  they 
thought  fit,  and  for  the  first  two  months  disputes 
rarely  occurred  among  them,  for  there  was  room 
for  all.  The  spots  selected  by  these  adventurers 
to  work  upon  were  called  pits — why,  it  would  be 
difficult  to  determine — possibly  from  some  casual 
remark  of  a sailor  or  laborer. 

The  number  of  vessels  present  at  Ichaboe  toward 
the  close  of  the  year  1843  amounted  to  nineteen, 
and  the  arrivals  went  on  increasing,  though,  from 
this  time,  a good  many  ships  were  constantly  leav- 
ing with  full  cargoes.  As  the  claimants  for  freight- 
ing-places  became,  however,  more  numerous,  the 
difficulty  of  satisfying  them  became  greater  in  the 
same  degree.  At  first,  every  new-comer  chose  a 
new  station,  until  the  whole  northern  frontage  of 
the  island — the  only  part  of  it  adapted  for  lading 
— was  occupied.  Another  system  was,  however, 


406  THREE  HUNDRED  VESSELS  AT  ANCHOR. 

now  absolutely  necessary,  and  masters  of  vessels, 
instead  of  choosing  new  pits  more  remote  from  the 
landing-place,  made  arrangements  with  their  prede- 
cessors to  succeed  to  their  pits  or  stations  on  the 
condition  of  assisting  them  in  shipping  their  car- 
goes, and  paying  a fair  valuation  for  the  stages. 

During  the  months  of  July  and  August  the  ves- 
sels arrived  at  Ichaboe  in  such  numbers  that  near- 
ly three  hundred  were  at  anchor  off  that  island  in 
the  latter  months.  Freighting-places,  as  may  be 
supposed,  became  consequently  extremely  valuable, 
and  were  bought  for  money,  all  eagerly  desiring 
a northern  frontage  in  preference  to  the  neutral 
ground.  Under  these  circumstances,  many  ship- 
masters, and  other  parties  from  the  Cape,  estab- 
lished themselves  on  the  rock,  obtained  possession 
of  the  pits,  stations,  and  stages,  and  sold  them  at 
prices  more  or  less  exorbitant,  according  as  the  de- 
mand for  them  rose  or  fell.  Much  murmuring  was 
occasioned  by  this  seizure  by  a third  party  on  priv- 
ileges and  property  to  which  they  had  no  legal 
claim  whatever,  and  several  attempts  to  put  the 
practice  down  were  consequently  made  in  the  com- 
mittee— in  vain,  for  the  majority  of  its  members 
were  more  or  less  interested  in  the  iniquitous  gains 
of  the  new  system. 

It  was  while  this  enormous  fleet  was  lying  off 
Ichaboe  that  another  Cape  Town  scribe  showed  in 
the  following  verses  the  universal  interest  taken  in 
guano  speculations,  and  how  completely  the  subject 
engrossed  all  conversation  in  the  colony. 


THE  GUANO  FEVER  VERSIFIED. 


407 


“ A thousand  fine  vessels  are  plowing  the  main, 

With  their  white  sails  all  spread  till  their  lofty  spars  strain ; 
But  what  are  they  seeking,  and  where  are  they  gone  ? 
Attend  to  my  lay,  and  I’ll  tell  you  anon. 

There’s  an  island  that  lies  on  West  Africa’s  shore, 

Where  penguins  have  lived  since  the  flood  or  before, 

And  raised  up  a hill  there  a mile  high  or  more. 

This  hill  is  all  guano,  and  lately  ’tis  shown 
That  finer  potatoes  and  turnips  are  grown, 

By  means  of  this  compost,  than  ever  were  known ; 

And  the  peach  and  the  nectarine,  the  apple,  the  pear, 

Attain  such  a size  that  the  gardeners  stare, 

And  cry,  4 Well ! I never  saw  fruit  like  that  ’ere  !’ 

One  cabbage  thus  reared,  as  a paper  maintains, 

Weighed  twenty-one  stone,  thirteen  pounds  and  six  grains, 
So  no  wonder  guano  celebrity  gains. 

44  If  business  cause  you  to  walk  down  the  street, 

A group  of  old  fogies  you’re  certain  to  meet, 

Rigged  in  chokers,  frock-coats,  and  boots,  all  complete ; 
Except  that  the  latter  are  large  for  the  feet, 

But  that  is  apart  from  the  subject  I treat : [ures, 

Their  broad-shouldered  figures,  their  weather-bronzed  feat- 
Convince  you  at  once  that  they’re  seafaring  creatures. 

One  pulls  out  a snulf-box  and  hands  it  about, 

While  each  one  in  turn  puts  it  up  to  his  snout, 

But  none  of  the  party  will  take  a pinch  out : 

You’re  puzzled  till  some  one  says, 4 Here’s  an  example 
Of  Malagas  guano ; it’s  not  a bad  sample.5 

44  You  speak  a strange  sail — ask  her  where  she  is  bound — 

She  answers, 4 Wherever  guano  is  found.’ 

44  At  dinner  some  gentleman,  helping  a dish, 

Says, 4 A little  guano,  sir  ? — beg  pardon — fish  ?’ 

And  so  the  word’s  dinned  in  your  ears,  till  you  wish 
Those  foreseeing  penguins  had  never  laid  by 
(Without  speaking  before)  such  a precious  supply.” 


408 


DIVISION  OF  THE  ISLAND. 


One  good  effect  followed  from  the  dissensions 
just  alluded  to.  The  neutral  ground,  containing, 
it  was  found,  as  good  guano  as  any  on  the  island, 
now  began  to  be  occupied.  The  manure  from  this 
locality  was  shipped  from  and  to  the  northern 
stages,  and  a good  deal  of  the  ground  had  already 
been  nearly  worked  through  when  the  parties  en- 
gaged in  clearing  it  were  warned  that,  according  to 
regulations  to  that  effect*  they  could  not  proceed 
farther  in  a certain  direction.  Had  they  been  al- 
lowed to  do  so  they  would  evidently  have  encroach- 
ed upon  the  property  of  those  who  had  possessed 
the  side-pits,  either  from  the  beginning  or  by  pur- 
chase, and  who  naturally  wished,  requiring  them  no 
longer,  to  sell  them  to  some  successor  at  a good  price. 

The  places  for  embarkation  were,  as  I have  al- 
ready stated,  all  on  the  north  and  east  side  of  the 
island.  In  order,  therefore,  that  the  other  front- 
ages should  be  able  to  take  advantage  of  them, 
the  Whole  islet  was  divided  by  a line  from  east  to 
west.  By  this  division  it  was  probable  all  the  pits 
would  be  worked  out  at  the  same  time.  That  it 
might  be  so,  a longitudinal  line  was  drawn  north 
and  south,  and  a series  of  pits  from  the  east  and 
west  was  made  up  to  that  point. 

Ichaboe  at  this  period  presented  a scene  perhaps 
the  most  singular,  the  most  grotesquely  picturesque, 
and  the  most  animated  that  ever  was  beheld. 

u Imagine,’1  says  Sir  John  Marshall,  who  com- 
manded her  majesty’s  frigate  “Isis,”  “a  fleet  of 


ENCAMPMENT  ON  SHORE. 


409 


about  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  sail,  some  of 
them  old  and  rigged  out  for  the  occasion,  many 
with  masters  of  irregular  habits  and  insubordinate 
crews,  seamen  and  laborers  amounting  to  about 
3500  men  of  the  lowest  and  most  drunken  class, 
crowded  together  in  certainly  the  most  boisterous 
anchorage  in  the  world.  It  is  a proud  sight,  nev- 
ertheless, to  see  so  many  craft  all  lying  with  their 
anchors  ahead,  amid  dangers  of  no  ordinary  kind, 
and  evincing,  in  coolly  riding  under  difficulties  that 
would  appal  most  others,  the  daring  and  superior 
seamanship  which  so  strongly  characterizes  our  peo- 
ple. No  wrecks  have  occurred  since  I have  been 
here ; but,  though  we  saved  one  vessel  when  on  the 
rocks,  much  mischief  has  been  done.  Bowsprits, 
stern-frames,  and  boats  have  chiefly  suffered ; yet  I 
believe  the  damage  is  trifling  compared  with  what 
might  have  been  expected.  Fancy  so  many  ships 
at  only  an  average  distance  from  each  other,  of  from 
twenty  to  thirty  fathoms,  amid  rollers  in  which  the 
‘Isis,’  the  lower  cells  of  whose  ports  are  nine  feet 
and  more  above  the  water,  has  dipped  her  main- 
deck  guns,  and  where,  moreover,  there  is  no  protec- 
tion from  a gale  from  the  west,  and  but  very  par- 
tial shelter  from  any  wind.” 

At  the  commencement  of  October  there  were  al- 
together present  at  Ichaboe  about  six  thousand  sea- 
men and  laborers,  of  whom  at  least  three  fourths 
were  located  on  shore.  At  that  time  the  part  of 
the  island  which  had  been  cleared  of  guano  was 


410  BAD  DOINGS  ON  THE  ISLAND. 

completely  covered  with  tents,  in  which  much 
skulking  during  the  day,  and  much  rioting  at  night 
took  place.  These  tents  were  pitched  so  close  to- 
gether that  it  was  almost  impossible  to  detect  a tru- 
ant laborer  or  seaman  hiding  among  them,  and  the 
scenes  of  drunkenness  and  debauchery  they  shelter- 
ed would  have  disgraced  the  lowest  haunt  of  vice. 
Spirits,  in  much  greater  quantities  than  were  al- 
lowed by  the  regulations,  were  issued  to  the  men, 
with  the  connivance  of  the  mates,  though  not  with 
that  of  the  masters  ; and  Bacchanalian  orgies  were 
held  in  the  encampment,  abominable  beyond  belief, 
which  would  call  up  a blush  even  on  the  face  of  the 
most  abandoned. 

Things  came  at  last  to  such  a pass  that  the  com- 
mittee, supported  by  Sir  John  Marshall,  ordered 
every  tent  on  the  island  to  be  struck  on  the  day 
following  their  sitting. 

Many  a curse,  not  loud,  but  deep,  was  heaped 

that  night  on  the  heads  of  the  u committee,” 

as  they  were  called,  not  only  by  the  seamen  and  la- 
borers, but  by  the  masters  themselves,  many  of 
whom,  I am  sorry  to  say,  indulged  themselves  in 
the  camp  revelries  with  quite  as  much  zest  as  their 
crews.  On  the  morning  of  the  day  on  which  the 
tents  were  to  be  struck  some  opposition  to  the  in- 
junctions of  the  committee  was  attempted,  but  Sir 
John  was  too  well  prepared  to  leave  it  the  least 
chance  of  success.  At  one  o’clock  P.M.  he  pulled 
toward  the  landing-place,  with  the  frigate’s  boats 


SIR  JOHN  MARSHALL. 


411 


completely  manned  and  armed ; and,  disembarking 
half  the  marines,  with  a few  bluejackets,  went  round 
the  island,  overawing,  by  his  presence,  the  disaffect- 
ed, and  effectually  quelling,  by  a judicious  display 
of  force,  every  thought  of  resistance  that  had  been 
previously  entertained.  At  five  P.M.  not  a man 
remained  on  the  island  except  the  marine  guard 
who  landed  every  evening  to  clear  it,  and  to  pre- 
vent any  disembarkation  until  the  morning.  From 
the  time  of  his  arrival  up  to  the  time  of  his  depart- 
ure, Sir  John  Marshall,  by  his  unwearied  energy 
and  perseverance  to  promote  the  interests  of  all 
concerned  in  the  guano  trade,  by  his  urbanity  and 
kindness,  by  his  ready  access  to  seamen  and  labor- 
ers, and  his  unremitting  attention  to  the  whole  wide 
circle  of  his  duties,  rendered  himself  universally  re- 
spected and  beloved,  and  certainly  deserved,  in  the 
amplest  measure,  the  thanks  of  the  merchants  and 
underwriters  of  Great  Britain. 

The  removal  of  the  tents  and  the  clearing  of  the 
island  every  evening  was  assuredly  one  of  the  best 
measures  adopted  while  the  merchant  fleet  remain- 
ed at  Ichaboe ; it  tended  to  keep  up  discipline, 
which  had  been  seriously  relaxed,  among  the  vari- 
ous crews,  and  prevented  an  encampment  being 
turned  into  a rendezvous  for  the  indulgence  in 
every  sort  of  horrible  excess. 

Up  to  the  autumn  of  1844  not  more  than  90,000 
tons  of  guano  had  been  removed  from  Ichaboe ; 
but  from  that  time  the  valuable  deposit  began  to 


412 


GUANO-PITS  EXHAUSTED. 


disappear  rapidly;  from  September,  1844,  to  the 
middle  of  February,  1855,  so  great  was  the  number 
of  vessels  taking  in  cargo  that,  in  the  month  of 
January  alone,  four  hundred  and  fifty  were  at  an- 
chor off  the  island,  and  such  the  activity  of  the 
crews  that  the  remaining  110,000  tons  of  manure 
were  entirely  cleared  away.* 

“The  wealth  obtained  from  Ichaboe,”  remarks  a 
certain  writer,  “the  ingenious  machinery  by  which 
the  guano  was  removed,  the  enormous  fleet  of  ves- 
sels and  number  of  men  employed,  with  the  huge 
hinderances  of  nature’s  interposition  they  had  to 
contend  with  and  to  subdue,  must  strike  every  in- 
telligent observer  as  presenting  a very  extraordina- 
ry example  of  commercial  enterprise  and  hardi- 
hood. Though  the  surf,  thundering  toward  the 
shore,  washed  down  stages  at  intervals  as  fast  as 
they  were  set  up — though  the  wind  and  the  sea  in 
the  anchorage  rendered  communication  between 
parties  engaged  in  the  same  task  often  difficult, 
and  the  boating  off  of  guano  frequently  impossible, 
yet  there  was  no  relaxation  of  effort  for  one  mo- 
ment, and  in  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time  com- 
plete success  crowned  these  strenuous  exertions. 

* The  price  of  guano  at  Ichaboe  varied  according  to  the 
demand,  at  one  time  being  5s.  per  ton,  and  at  another  from 
15s.  to  20s.  The  freight  paid  to  chartered  vessels  was  £4  per 
ton.  On  an  average,  the  price  of  good  guano  received  by  the 
importers  was  £6  10s.  to  £7  10s.  per  ton.  The  farmer,  how- 
ever, never  obtained  it  under  £8,  and  then  often  adulterated 
by  the  holders. 


A BUSY  PICTURESQUE  SCENE. 


413 


“The  weather  only  permitted,  on  an  average, 
three  good  boating-days  in  the  week ; on  the  other 
days  it  was  generally  impossible  to  land.  When, 
however,  a landing  could  be  effected,  all  hands  were 
occupied  with  the  spade,  or  in  filling  and  carrying 
bags  to  the  stages  for  shipment.  On  a fine  calm 
day  it  was  pleasant  to  stand  on  the  summit  of  the 
rocky  islet,  and  look  down  on  the  busy  hive  below. 
One  might  then  see  one  party  in  a pit,  amid  clouds 
of  dust,  digging  guano,  while  another  was  shovel- 
ing it  into  bags ; and  farther  on,  perhaps,  a band 
employed  in  wheeling  or  carrying  sacks  to  the 
shore,  where  a long  row  of  men  would  be  seen  run- 
ning along  with  others  on  their  shoulders,  tossing 
them  into  the  boats  at  the  stage  ends,  and  return- 
ing rapidly  for  more.  Then,  again,  the  deeply-laden 
boat  pulled  off  to  the  vessel,  and  the  crew  on  board, 
heaving  up  the  cargo  to  their  well-known  measured 
chant,  just  reaching  the  ear  of  the  listener  on  land, 
and  contrasting  well,  by  its  lulling  sound  and  effect, 
with  the  stirring  life  which  it  so  softened  and  har- 
monized, added  greatly  to  the  picturesqueness  of  the 
scene.  On  some  of  the  fine  days  referred  to,  which 
occurred  generally  after  bad  weather,  not  less  than 
two  thousand  tons  have  been  shipped  in  the  course 
of  twelve  hours.  I need  not  say,  therefore,  that, 
generally  speaking,  the  men  worked  well,  and,  if  at 
times  they  were  somewhat  noisy,  this  might  easily 
be  tolerated  when  the  nature  of  their  labor  was 
considered.  It  was,  on  the  whole,  a proud  sight 


414 


CONCLUDING  REMARKS. 


for  any  Englishman  to  contemplate.  The  vast 
mercantile  fleet  assembled — the  energy  and  perse- 
verance of  its  commanders  and  crews — the  toil  and 
difficulties  encountered  and  overcome — the  immense 
value  of  the  shipping — the  expense  of  the  entire 
equipment — the  worth  of  the  homeward  cargo — its 
importance  in  a commercial  as  well  as  in  an  agri- 
cultural point  of  view — all  this  constituted  a spec- 
tacle for  the  eye  and  for  the  mind  such  as  the 
British  nation  alone  can  furnish,  and  which  prob- 
ably has,  in  the  history  of  commerce,  never  had  its 
parallel.” 


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